Near 22nd Avenue and Jefferson in Phoenix, a front porch has become a lifeline. Tyisha “Ty” Dillard stocks it with snacks, clothes, hygiene products and water, and on a given day more than 50 people stop by to grab what they need. She calls it Katherine’s Pantry, named for her grandmother.
Dillard cannot work because of mental health conditions, scoliosis, hip dysplasia and double ACL injuries, so she funds the pantry with community donations and some of her Social Security and disability checks, according to the seed article from The Arizona Republic. The idea grew out of her own hardship: Dillard and her family faced food hardship, and she shared surplus food with neighbors, the Republic reports.
The need was already visible on her street. As abc15.com reported, Dillard set up a small spot for her neighbors where people can grab snacks, clothes, hygiene products and water, and she said she’s helped over 50 people a day. The station noted that the pantry accepts small donations that fly off the shelf within days — a sign of how quickly supplies disappear once word spreads.
A Childhood Shaped by Shelters and Survival
Dillard’s drive to help traces back to her own childhood. She told abc15.com, “Me and my mom used to stay in a homeless shelter in Durham, North Carolina,” describing homelessness she experienced as a child and later again as a single mother. She and her mother, Sandra Hairston, became homeless after escaping a domestic violence situation in North Carolina and later stayed in a domestic violence shelter that provided food, clothing and temporary jobs, according to the seed reporting. Hairston eventually left that shelter after being served spoiled food, the Republic reports…