Terry is exuberant and magnetic, impossible to miss during the monthly Food for the Soul Luncheon at Loop Ministries. Taking a break from entertaining a table of friends over a plate of ribs, he relates his life history with this characteristic cheerfulness, his smile a reminder of endurance in the face of hardship.

A Rochester native and the second youngest of eight children, Terry grew up in a family who often struggled to make ends meet. He became a father himself at age 17, and turned to dealing drugs to support his infant son. “I was like a hamster on a wheel,” he says, frantically spinning his hands in pantomime of the chaos of this earlier life, “moving fast, going nowhere.”  But after facing a lengthy prison sentence, he has committed himself to transforming his life, relying on his faith to lead him towards a better future.

Now, at 46, Terry is full of hope and excitement. He has enrolled in a GED program, thankful for the new clothes he’s received through the Ministry’s donation, and he is working hard to support his elderly mother and five year old daughter by raking leaves and doing odd jobs in his neighborhood.

“I believe in miracles,” he says, “God has blessed me. My path is blessed.”

As summer draws to a close and temperatures (ever so slowly) begin to drop, food and clothing become all the more important—and Loop Ministries provided generous helpings of both during our Food for the Soul luncheon on September 25th.

As everyone sat down to eat, I had a chance to speak with a young man named Chris, a native Rochesterian and first-time attendee of the monthly luncheon. He describes himself as a very spiritual person, brought up in the Pentecostal tradition and a frequenter of Rochester’s Open Arms Metro Community Church. He has been to Loop’s food pantry in the past and knows our pastor, so that is what led him to the luncheon.

Chris is a barber by trade: he cuts and styles women’s hair. Working in salons has given him the chance to flex his comedic muscle with clients—he likes talking with people and trying to make them laugh. He says he was often nervous in the beginning, but he sees comedy as a way to break down walls between people. Banter with clients has even helped him conquer his own self-esteem issues.

Recently, the last salon at which he worked closed down and moved to North Carolina, so he has been out of work. He hasn’t let that get him down, however, as he always tries to look on the bright side and continues to search for opportunities. We’re happy to have him in the Loop family!

(Pictured with Chris is his guardian mother, Laura, who hails originally from Boston, Massachusetts!)