Traci’s Story

Traci is a volunteer at Still Water Pantry and has been one of a small group working throughout the pandemic to feed the increasing numbers of people seeking help. 

“I’m a survivor of domestic violence. It left me with PTSD and I have a lot of anxiety and depression. I ended up homeless on the streets for six months until I found a shelter in Santa Monica. That saved my life because I had access to free mental health care and other supports that really helped me move forward with my life. 

I moved to Simi because my son is here. I found a roommate and I’ve been here for nine years now. My roommate sings in the choir at this church. He told me about the program here and so I came along to check it out and then I started volunteering. I feel like I can really relate to a lot of the struggles these people are going through, whether they’re homeless individuals or families having a hard time. There were times when my son was small that I had to send him to his dad’s house because I didn’t have enough food to feed him. 

It brings me so much joy to be able to provide what we can to these people. I hand out cards to people I meet telling them about the pantry. Just because someone looks like they might have it together on the outside it doesn’t mean that they have enough. I tell them, we don’t judge. If you’re hungry and you need food then all we need is your name and the number of people in your household. You don’t need to be a member of the church. We’ll feed anyone who needs it. And doing things for other people helps make my anxiety and depression more manageable.”