No child should know the pain of hunger and neglect, but Emily’s home life was full of uncertainty because of her mother’s substance abuse. Emily spent a lot of time alone and never knew where her next meal would come from. 

Emily recently stayed at CEDARS Emergency Shelter while her mom worked on her health to bring stability to their home. Although she was grateful to finally be safe, our staff recognized that Emily was hurting. They learned she was feeling very alone and worried about her mom. 

Our dedicated staff recognized Emily needed to feel connected to her mom, and when she mentioned that one of her favorite things they did together was bake cookies, staff gifted her baking supplies and set her up in our kitchen. They baked alongside Emily, whose face lit up when she bit into the cookies that tasted like home. 

Emily, who had almost given up hope a few days earlier, was now smiling ear to ear as she shared the treats she had made with her new friends at CEDARS.