Sahra was an elderly woman who lived alone in a small apartment in South Minneapolis. She had moved to the United States from Somalia many years ago, seeking a better life for herself and her family. Despite facing many challenges, Sahra had always managed to stay independent and self-sufficient. However, as she grew older, she began to struggle with mobility issues and found it increasingly difficult to shop for groceries.
One day, Sahra came across her neighbor hibo that tells her about Isuroon, a nonprofit organization that provides food shelf services to the East African community. She mentiones that Isuroon provides culturally appropriate food options, and that their staff were fluent in Somali languages. This caught Sahra’s attention, as she had often felt frustrated trying to communicate with store clerks who didn’t speak her language.
Sahra decided to give Isuroon a call and see if they could help her. When she phoned the organization, she was greeted by a friendly staff member named Layla, who spoke to her in Somali. Layla asked Sahra about her needs and preferences, and assured her that they would do their best to provide her with the food she needed.
A few days later, Sahra went to go visit Isuroon and was met with many other familiar faces such as neighbors and relatives who let her know they go as groups and meet up at a different location every first Tuesday of the month and will include her in their whats app group chat. Sahra continued to finish her client intake with the culturally inviting front desk staff Isuroon has and finished her profile in Isuroons system which enables her to come back and state her name as she is saved in their system next time Sahra decides to come.
As she unpacked the food shelf bags, Sahra noticed that everything was halal, just as she regularly prefers it. There were rice, flour, and organic olive oil and even some spices she can use to make traditional Somali dishes like suqaar. Sahra couldn’t believe how thoughtful Isuroon had been in selecting her food.
From that day forward, Isuroon became an important resource for Sahra. Every month, layla would always take the time to chat and catch up with Sahra. They would ask about her health, her family, and her interests, and Sahra felt like she had made two new friends.
Thanks to Isuroon, Sahra was able to maintain her independence and continue living in her own apartment. She no longer had to worry about accessing healthy groceries, and she felt proud to be able to take care of herself. The social interaction she experienced during the deliveries also helped alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness that she had sometimes felt since moving to the United States.
As the months went by, Sahra grew to trust and rely on Isuroon more and more as she became more involved in their other programs such as Housing, Refugee services and women’s health programs she was made aware of.