One of the most vibrant parts of Concrete Jungle is our Program Assistant Jeanie. Jeanie is so full of life, has never met a stranger and can make ANYONE laugh. Jeanie got to know Concrete Jungle while shopping at SWEEAC (Southwest Ecumenical Emergency Assistance Center). “I would come to the cooking classes and I just adored Lauren who was leading the class. There was lots of camaraderie in the cooking classes, and I put it out there that I wanted to help. I’ve always wanted to be helpful and I saw an opportunity with CJ.”
Soon, Jeanie was hired as a Program Assistant to help lead cooking classes and recipe demonstrations. With COVID, her role evolved to manage clients for the Grocery Delivery Program. Jeanie calls clients to check in on them and let them know that their deliveries are coming. “Some clients seem lonely or sad because of the pandemic, I try to pull them out of that–I try to make them laugh, that’s the best medicine of all.”
Jeanie is proud to be a part of the Grocery Delivery Program team. She can relate to the tremendous benefit for clients to stay safely at home and receive grocery deliveries, “what we’re doing now is so meaningful. A lot of these people are like me–they don’t have a car–and it’s a lot to get to and from the food pantry with a basket. And food pantries are especially dangerous right now.”