Carla’s faith-fueled journey to StreetWise

Faith moves mountains – and sometimes stops trains.

Carla, mother of four and grandmother of eleven, has been through a lot of life change over the last few years, but she’s seen God work in it all.

“My husband passed away in 2020, so I moved from Portland, Oregon back to Georgia in September of 2023 to be near three of my daughters and nine of my grandchildren. I work through the AARP Senior Employment Program, took a job with the Georgia Department of Labor in July and have settled into Kennesaw. I love it!” she said.

The next month, one of Carla’s daughters moved and found herself in a difficult spot.

“I’d gone to my daughter’s house to finish helping her unpack because she had to go to work. She has five children ages 2-18, so I was there with them. She had to pay a huge deposit on her new home, so she didn’t have any food in the house. She had just a little bit of money – not enough to carry her through the rest of the month. 

“I took my money that I had for my bills and went to the store, but I also went to a couple of places asking if they could help. They all said no and that they could only refer me to other organizations. I thought ‘But I don’t have time for that; my family needs food now.’”

Just when Carla saw no way for support, a way was made for her. 

“I left Kroger, but I really didn’t know my way around the area. I got frustrated, and I was just driving. I went down this street and thought, ‘I’m just gonna head on back to the house and call some places for help.’ There was a train in front of me that just completely stopped, so my frustration level went up a little bit more. 

“I stopped and prayed, and I said, ‘God, I’m trying to help my family, and they need food.’ I said, ‘I’m just gonna turn around,’ so I turned down a street, and I saw this big sign that said ‘StreetWise’. I thought, ‘Just go on by, Carla, it’s nothing.’ But I heard the voice of God say, ‘Go back.’ 

“I turned around, pulled up to the very first entrance of the building and just sat in the car. There were some workers out front, so I rolled down the window. A lady came up and asked, ‘May I help you, ma’am?’ and I just started crying. She stood there and she just held me, consoled me and said, ‘It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright. Whatever you need, we are here to help you.’ It was so comforting.

“It was kind of a twofold cry, though, because I was happy that God had sent me there, but I had a little bit of frustration as well because I didn’t know if I would be able to get any help that day.”

Little did Carla know how – and how much – God would provide for her.

“After another lady came out to pray with me, they told me, ‘I just need to get your name; I don’t need to do an intake with you.’ So they filled my trunk up!” she said. “When I left my daughter’s house, I had nothing, but I came back with not just canned food but fruit platters and vegetables and meat. 

“I called my 14 year-old granddaughter Jordan out to the car to help me with the groceries, and she said, ‘Grandma, where did you get all this stuff from?’ I told her the story and told my daughter when she got back from work, and they were amazed. It was an opportunity for me to share about the love and help of God and let them know that He hears us when we pray.

“I love telling this story because it gives people hope, and I needed hope that day.”

Carla had experienced difficulty with other organizations in the past. She was often left frustrated because she was unable to get the assistance she needed. Receiving the love and care she did from StreetWise forever changed her. 

“[My experience at StreetWise] was like an open door. When I left StreetWise, it was like not just that day but that part of my life had changed. In the past, I’d experienced hardship with organizations like StreetWise, and it was just a relief for them to be such a blessing. 

“God showed me that He’s set up loving people and God-fearing people in these organizations to understand how to help meet a need. It changed my perspective about people, but it also helped me see that if getting help doesn’t happen here, like the two other places I went that day, God has somewhere else. 

“Getting help from StreetWise built my faith and taught me to never doubt God.”

Carla wants others to experience StreetWise for themselves – and for those who are able to give toward the ministry.

“StreetWise is a great resource. They’re kind, not judging and give you what you need,” she said. “I would even drive from Kennesaw to come over and volunteer!

“To StreetWise’s donors: Your giving is not in vain. It is helping families, physically and spiritually – because I do believe StreetWise would share the love of God with whoever. Your giving helps not just feed people, but it helps the whole person.”