Answering the Call to Be a Caregiver for Others
Not everyone chooses the life of being a caregiver. Sometimes it chooses you. For Stacy Sholes, his life experiences have been largely shaped by taking care of others. From age 11, he had the keys to the house and was considered the primary care giver for his family.
“I was the baby of the family at 11 years old, but my brothers were disabled, and my mother had developed severe anxiety to the point she wasn’t able to go outside much,” said Sholes. “It was just in my nature to be a caregiver. I didn’t realize at that age what I was doing was caregiving – I just did it to help my family. You got to have a lot of patience, and I learned that it was a calling for me – not a burden.”
Sholes and his family have relied on the food pantry at Hope Ministries to help them get by when times are tight financially.
“I started working young, so I’ve always had jobs,” said Sholes. “Having to raise siblings and family, I was the primary male in their life, and so while I worked, I still had to care for them. With inflation as high as it is, the pantry makes it a lot easier for people who are on a fixed income.”
Stacy has worked several jobs during his lifetime including youth counseling, security services, education, inventory, and janitorial services. He is most fond of his time working with kids in public housing.
“I grew up in public housing so that’s where I did most of the mentoring of kids there trying to get them to understand this doesn’t have to be your future,” said Sholes. “I found myself sharing the skills I had learned and trying to help them see that with hard work and dedication you can change your environment.”
Sholes is very grateful for the food his family receives from Hope Ministries, and he has a message for donors of the Food Bank who help the pantries provide food to those in need.
“They will probably never know first-hand the lives they touch by donating to the Food Bank,” Sholes said. “For me, it’s like being a good neighbor or part of your family. I can always count on the pantry. A lot of people that come here have small kids, or they are elderly and taking care of grandkids. You never know when you are going to need help, and it’s nice to know they are here when you really need them.”
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