A Haven for Happy Beginnings

The grandmother started crying almost as soon as she walked into Storyteller’s pantry. She had recently gained full custody of her grandchildren. She was working full time and had even received a recent raise, but she was still struggling to figure out how to provide everything they needed.

Food was one immediate answer. But what began with groceries became something larger: Storyteller connected her with parenting support, teachers, and other community resources. Soon, she was attending parent meetings and looking for every tool she could find to change the circumstances her grandchildren had inherited.

“Her experience reflects the heart of Storyteller’s work,” says Dr. Gabriella Garcia, Storyteller’s executive director. “Our programs support not only her grandchildren in the classroom, but the entire family as they work toward a more stable future where they can all thrive.”

That interaction captures an evolution underway at Storyteller. The organization has long provided trauma-informed early education for children facing poverty and adversity, beginning as young as six weeks old. Increasingly, however, the classroom is only the beginning.

The food pantry is one example. Created in response to growing community needs, it provides fresh and nonperishable food along with household and hygiene essentials, all free of charge. About 100 community members use it each week. There is no intake process and no information collected – a deliberate decision intended to remove a barrier for families reluctant to access assistance.

Room to Thrive

That same thinking extends to T.H.R.I.V.E. by Storyteller, which stands for Transforming Households with Resources, Information, Vision, and Empowerment. The newly formalized series of monthly parent workshops features specialists addressing topics ranging from childhood stress and difficult behaviors to nutrition. Through a partnership with U.S. Bank, families will also have access to bilingual financial literacy sessions covering banking, budgeting, saving, and even starting college funds for their children. Meals and childcare are provided.

“We remove barriers so nothing stands in the way of our families’ success,” Garcia says.

The approach reflects Storyteller’s understanding that adversity rarely stays neatly outside the classroom door. Roughly 30 percent of its families are experiencing homelessness, Garcia says. For their children, Storyteller provides a safe place to learn and play for eight hours a day, with two meals and a substantial snack, behavioral and mental health support, and speech and occupational therapists who can come directly to campus.

For infants, the intervention can be even more elemental. Children who have experienced chronic stress in utero can struggle with attachment and regulation. Storyteller responds by creating positive experiences from the beginning.

Storyteller is now applying that principle beyond the child.

“Our students receive exceptional care from skilled educators who understand their needs,” Garcia says. “We are now expanding that support to the whole family, because when parents thrive, so does the entire family.”

Sometimes that larger change starts with something as basic as a bag of groceries.