“Helping others brings me back to my humble beginnings,” says Yadel.
When Yadel was two, her parents immigrated to America. “Like many immigrants, they came here with nothing,” she says. “My parents had gotten a little place to live. We had no furniture. We were starting with nothing.”
In the middle of lack and uncertainty, the family found CityTeam. Yadel vividly remembers seeing the shelves of groceries in our pantry.
“They told my parents, ‘Grab whatever you guys need.’ CityTeam clothed us and gave us hygiene essentials. Even during Christmas, there were always gifts for us when my parents couldn’t afford them.”
Yadel’s family found a pathway to hope at CityTeam — a pathway that would later lead Yadel to make a lasting impact in her community.
When Yadel got connected with our mobile food truck, Hope on Wheels, she saw it as an opportunity to give to others what was given to her all those years ago. “I’m able to give back to a child who is in the same boat as I once was,” says Yadel.
Knowing what it’s like to get by on so little, her heart goes out to families like her own. “I’m grateful for a roof over my head and legal status. Some people take that for granted, but having legal status changes so much in your life,” says Yadel.
Going into homeless encampments and serving meals through Hope on Wheels has opened Yadel’s eyes to see her neighbors as they really are — people just like us who have a story to tell.
“There’s power in listening,” says Yadel. “A lot of people tell me, ‘I hit rock bottom.’ It matters to get to know them as a human being, not for the means they don’t have.”
For our neighbors experiencing homelessness, a hot meal, compassionate care, and a listening ear spark hope for tomorrow. “To have the security of a warm place to sleep and something to eat is huge,” says Yadel. “If we can get everybody in the mindset that someone is worth more than their current situation, that will give them the hope to actually get out of their situation.”
From her family’s small beginnings to now, Yadel always had hope for her future. “There’s a purpose to why my family immigrated to this country. There’s a purpose to why I’m here. And there’s a purpose to why I continue serving at CityTeam,” she declares.
CityTeam's programs pave the way to a lifetime of stability and hope — hope that begins with a hot meal and intentional care, and is sustained in Jesus. For Yadel, that hope shaped her into who she is today.
“People may think it’s insignificant to provide things like a warm bed, household goods, or toys,” says Yadel. “But they don’t realize how much that makes a difference — or even how that is a part of me today.”