KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Lily contacted Neighbor2Neighbor and asked if she could spent Thanksgiving morning with its clients who were enjoying a hot meal on Thanksgiving. She found a story about two people who decided to change the direction of their lives.
Share your story idea with Lily.
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People at a Thanksgiving breakfast for those struggling with addiction and homelessness say they're thankful to be alive.
Neighbor2Neighbor, located in an eastside Kansas City neighborhood, hosted a free Thanksgiving breakfast Thursday morning that began with a prayer.
“Everybody feels grateful to be alive today, just tap on the table," Executive Director Gregory Parr said to open the prayer.
Attendees across the room tapped the table.
Parr knows what it's like to struggle with addiction and homelessness.
“I’ve been sober since October 5, 1994," he said.
Within a year, Parr says he was helping those who were once in his shoes.
"Well, see, I'm a recovering addict myself," said Carlotta Boles. "I've been clean for 33 years."
Boles has been by Parr's side since the beginning.
“I was working at a window company, and he asked me to quit my job and join him at this church where we were feeding the homeless, and I said, ‘OK.’ I just did it," Boles said.
Decades later, the two are still leading Neighbor2Neighbor.
Christy Savage joins Neighbor2Neighbor every day for a meal, but Thanksgiving Day was special.
“I’m just thankful to be alive," she said.
Savage said Parr got her a spot in a women's shelter. After getting her Thanksgiving breakfast, she gets to move into a shelter.
“I feel different," she said. "I feel a change coming.”
Savage recently lost her dog — which she describes as her companion — after it was hit by a car. The two were living in a tent. After her dog died, she decided it was time for a change.
“That’s the light in my eyes," Parr said. "I like to see people change, I like to see people transform.”
Parr reached back out to KSHB 41 News after the Thanksgiving breakfast concluded.
He said two people struggling with addiction decided to begin their journey toward recovery by entering treatment tomorrow morning. Neighbor2Neighbor helps people transition into that service.
Neighbor2Neighbor is open every weekday from 9 a.m. to noon at 2910 Victor Street. Parr says they're currently working to secure a grant to fund additional hours.
He said opening at 7 a.m. would give people in need a place to go after local shelters close for the daytime hours.
If interested, you can make a donation here.
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