Every Day is Mother’s Day at Good Shepherd

This is the first-hand account of a Good Shepherd program participant who benefited from our services and is living out our vision of self-sustainability for all women and families that pass through our care. Names have been changed to honor the privacy of our program participants.

When Colleen arrived at Good Shepherd, she wasn’t thinking about flowers or cards. She wasn’t dreaming of breakfast in bed or family photos. She just wanted a safe place to land.

She was a single mom to a bright, almost 5-year-old. College-educated but carrying the invisible weight of uncertainty, she had quietly cycled through instability. She had spent too many nights on borrowed couches, relying on friends of friends and stretching every dollar, until there were no more lifelines left.

“I thought homeless shelters were going to be roach-infested, scary places with no privacy or dignity,” she said quietly. “But Good Shepherd changed that image in my mind. Completely.”

When there was nowhere else to go, Good Shepherd’s doors were open.

A Home, Not a Shelter 

Colleen still remembers her first moments at the shelter. Private rooms. A safe play area for her child. A warm welcome from the other women, who were walking similar paths.

Most of all, she remembers Miss Grace. “She was like a grandma. She kept it real and reminded us to be kind,” Colleen shared. "She made sure this felt like home."

That sense of belonging was more than comfort. It gave Colleen the space to breathe—and to believe that change was possible.

A Clear Path to Self-Sufficiency 

The stay at Good Shepherd wasn’t indefinite. It didn’t need to be. Through the self-sufficiency program, Colleen was given not only stability, but a roadmap forward. 

Every step—from saving in her escrow account, to receiving gas vouchers that got her to job interviews and her child’s school—moved her closer to independence.

“I entered with nothing. No job. No money. No place to call my own,” Colleen said. “By the time I left 89 days later, I had a full-time job, my first apartment, and, most importantly, hope."

Good Shepherd’s thrift stores played their part, too—supplying clothes and household essentials, making sure she could stretch every dollar as she rebuilt her life. Community donations had powered her journey, even if she didn’t realize it yet.

Giving Back with Grateful Hands 

Today, Colleen’s life looks very different. She is married, raising two children, and continues to walk forward in faith. But she has never forgotten what Good Shepherd gave her.

When she and her husband were recently blessed with the opportunity, they gave back in a tangible way—donating a vehicle to help another woman on the same path she once traveled.

“God humbled me through that journey of homelessness,” Colleen reflected. “And now, I can give hands up, not hands out. That’s what Good Shepherd does—they give hands up."

Every Day is Mother’s Day 

Here At Good Shepherd, every day is Mother’s Day. Every day, women like Colleen are welcomed with dignity, provided with stability, and supported as they reclaim their independence.

Every day, thanks to generous supporters like you, mothers and their children experience the love, safety, and hope they deserve.

As we celebrate the mothers in our lives this May, join us in honoring them by giving forward. Your gift today helps ensure that another mother—just like Colleen—can find her way from crisis to confidence.

Please give today to support other mothers like Colleen, and to honor the mothers in your life.

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