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How Will I Feed My Child?

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Tina has been running an in-home daycare for twenty-eight years.

Tina said, “I love children.  Kids are a joy, and God said to take care of His children, so I’m taking care of His children.”

Eleven years ago, she felt God prompting her to become a foster mom.

Tina explained, “Josiah was three-months-old.  His grandmother had custody of the children.  Then Grandma gets sick.”

Tina got permanent custody, and she’s been Josiah’s mom ever since.

“He has been a joy in my life,” said Tina.  “In times when I was sad, he made me happy.  He’s very loving.  He’s very, very smart.”

Several years after becoming Josiah’s mom, Tina found herself struggling to provide for him when her leg required five surgeries.

Tina said, “My right leg got infected.  I was septic. I was very sick.  I’m like, ‘Oh goodness, I’m going to be off from work.’ Bills still have to be paid whether you’re working or not. I’m the sole provider of my family and I have to take care of Josiah, the home, everything.  I have it all to do.  It was hard.”

Tina wasn’t able to work for over a year and had to temporarily close her daycare. Desperate for help, she asked God what to do. He led her to Operation Blessing partner, Five Loaves and Two Fishes.

Tina explained, “It was just amazing how much was there, from household supplies, clothing, foods, everything.  I was able to take money and do something else with it that really needed to be done, like paying the garbage bill.  It’s like a miracle.  Like with my daycare kids, they bring a child here, and that child may not have what it needs. I can always pick up the phone and say, ‘Miss Linda, I need such and such to help my mommy with her baby.’ And she says, ‘Come on and get it!’ And that right there.  It’s a wonderful thing.”

Not long after she began receiving food, Tina decided it was time to volunteer.

Tina said, “I went back several more times, and then I said, ‘You know what? I want to give back.  I want to be a part of that.’  It is a joy.  It’s a blessing all the way around.”
Tina says she doesn’t know what she would’ve done without the help she received from Operation Blessing partners.

“I want to thank everybody,” said Tina.  “That food bank down there is one of the best things that ever happened to this county.”

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