Sarah’s Story
Where better to start than the beginning. My name is Sarah and I am married to Nate and together we have 3 kids. We started the Life Skills Program in March of 2015. In January, before starting the program, we bought a house for the first time and had no idea what we were doing. […]
Leanna’s Story
In 2015 I was serving as a church deacon, sometimes helping folks navigate financial struggles, occasionally I’d make a referral to Love… then, in an unforeseeable whirlwind my marriage fractured and I became a single-mom of 2 living on <50% of our previous household income. I know I needed to refer myself to Love. I honestly entered the […]
Amber’s Story
Amber, what initially brought you to Love? I was behind on my bills, mostly medical debt and I was really learning how limiting a bad credit score can be. I had been in an abusive marriage and I was trying to raise my two toddlers alone. Stress was getting the best of me and I […]
Jeana’s Story
“In a quaint neighborhood teaming with life my family and I found ourselves grappling with an unwelcome reality. We were like most other families. My husband, Steven and I were both holding stable jobs, our children were thriving, our home was filled with laughter and dreams for the future. However when I lost my job […]
Tiffany’s Story
How did you get connected with Love’s Life Skills Program? We were struggling financially and had heard of Love through our church and through shopping at the resale stores. What did you appreciate about the program? We were met the first day with dignity. We were not given a hand-out, in fact when I left […]
Rachel’s Story
Rachel is only 24 years old and grew up in Hudsonville. She joined the Life Skills Program after she attended our Community Christmas event and received support for Christmas gifts. At that time, she was living in a small studio apartment infested with mice, having to share a space with her son. She knew she […]
Duane & Nadine’s Story
God has been using Love Your Neighbor’s Life Skills Program to transform lives for countless individuals and families in our community for a long time. Going back more than a decade, this transformation was happening through the same vehicle used today – relationship! Here’s a story from 2013 about Nadine and Duane. Sitting down with […]
Shawn’s Story
In 2021, Shawn was experiencing financial hardship when suddenly his overtime was cut. He needed the overtime. “For a while, it was a little scary. The cupboards were empty a lot. Someone had spoken to me about Love and said they got food there. I thought it would be a one-time occurrence. But found out […]
Jillian’s Story
“What brought you to Love?” “We were hungry.” When Jillian thinks back to her experience in Life Skills more than 8 years ago, she thinks back to a time that felt hopeless. “I was in an extremely abusive relationship with someone who took all the money, wouldn’t let me work or leave the house. Someone […]
A Path of Hope
Stepheny brought her newborn daughter, Kaylee, home to a hotel. After losing her trailer, Stepheny’s credit crashed and she became homeless. Shelters and room rentals were unsafe for her daughters, so hotels became the realistic option. For 5 years, her family called hotels home while she worked as a personal caregiver. In between hotel stays, […]