Today we’d like to introduce you to Theresa Tozier.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born into a large Lebanese family that owned and ran a restaurant in South Boston Massachusetts. I grew up surrounded by food; at every family gathering, we had more food than anyone could ever dream of eating.
I couldn’t imagine a world where people would go without meals or live without having easy access to food.
Years later, I got a job working in the John Hancock Tower in Boston. Every day on my way to work, I would pass homeless men and women on the street. For the first time in my life, I was face to face with people who struggled daily to find their next meal.
Day after day I would walk by them; I saw their signs, I heard they’re begging, I looked into their pleading eyes. I started spending my lunch breaks bringing food and hot cocoa to the homeless who were sleeping on park benches or begging on the streets. Sometimes while eating, they would speak with me, tell me their stories, carry on conversations.
One day in the middle of winter, while riding the crowded train into work, a disheveled homeless woman boarded my train. There was only one empty seat on the train: the seat right next to me. As she made her way down the aisle towards me, I remember cringing inwardly and thinking, “Oh no… Please don’t sit next to me.” But of course, she did.
It was a freezing cold day outside, and she was wearing no jacket. Her shivering body touched mine. In that touch, her pain became reality to me. I couldn’t look past her, I couldn’t leave, I couldn’t walk away. I remember thinking of her in that moment, not as a marginalized number, or a label, but as a cold human being, just as real, as precious, and as alive as I was. This woman sitting next to me on the train, was one of the most powerful moments in my life.
The cold and pain of living in homelessness, I could not imagine. But in this moment, I could do something.
I took off my jacket and gave it to her along with my hot cup of cocoa. She took the coat out of my hands, wrapped it around her own shoulders, and then immediately jumped up and started heading towards the door, as if afraid I would change my mind and take the coat back. All the way off the train, she yelled, “Thank you, thank you, oh my God, thank you!”
I don’t know what was more moving, her shivering body, or the way she thanked me all the way off the train, but that was the moment when something woke up inside of me; something that went beyond the desire to merely feed people. Seeing her react with so much gratitude for something so seemingly small and insignificant made me realize that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping people access the things in life that so many of us take for granted. This one woman, whose shivering body had touched mine, had a story, an identity, and a purpose, just as I did. Whatever circumstances that had brought her to her current state could just as easily have happened to me, or anyone else. I found myself left with a burning desire to be part of the solution to this problem of homelessness.
It was nearly 20 years later, after raising my three children, that I began “Seeds of Faith”, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the immediate needs of the homeless and low-income population in the Greater Seacoast-area.
There are days when I wish I could find that woman from the train, and share with her how that one moment back in 1982 changed my life, and the lives of many others forever. What started out as a simple desire to feed those who had no food, and clothe those who needed warmth, has turned into an organization that has offered over 15 community programs which serve over 3,000 families each year with the help of 150 local volunteers. We are a small non-profit with a BIG dream to end the cycle of chronic homelessness; making a difference one life at a time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nothing worthwhile is a smooth road. The trials and tribulations along the way make the work real and rewarding. When things get overwhelming, and it seems easier to give up, these are the times that test our resolve and faith. These are the times when I think of that woman on the train, of how hard her daily life had been. One thing I have learned is that we never lose…….we learn or we win.
One of our biggest obstacles is that the homeless have no voice or platform. They have become invisible. Our challenge is to lift them up so they are invisible no more and we can shed light on their struggles.
When you run a non-profit, you oftentimes can be spread too thin; the desire to help everyone in your path that needs help is sometimes not a realistic endeavor……the balance of handling the day to day, reaching out to the community for support, recruiting volunteers, raising funds, dealing with obstacles, building your dream; some days it seems like such a daunting task. At these times, I reach to the lord to find the strength and I press on. My passion is what drives me but my purpose is now Lydia’s House of Hope. Seeing the struggles of these women both challenges and exhausts, yet I am both energized and invigorated by the sounds of laughter and life coming from this house. Hope is the heartbeat that lives within.
Our most recent project and focus is Lydia’s House of Hope: a transitional 365-day program for homeless woman and children in the greater Seacoast NH area. This passion project has had so many challenges in the past year; Since we are not federally funded, we had to raise raised $450K in funds to purchase and renovate a historic home; we dealt with community concerns, town ordinances, finding donors and volunteers to build the home, pipes bursting during the renovation, and yet we pressed on. In six months, we completed renovations and opened the home. We now see the fruits of our labor as we watch our residents thrive and grow.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Seeds Of Faith – what should we know?
For the last 16 years, our outreach mission has been helping homeless and low-income families on the seacoast and surrounding areas throughout New Hampshire and Maine. While serving the homeless, we have seen mothers without food for their children, families living in cars, fathers feeling degraded, and the greatest tragedy of all, the children who fall prey to the cycle of generational homelessness.
Out of this experience, we, as a group, have realized that individuals need more than just a one-time handout. In order to help individuals, utilize the resources available to them to create a life of responsible sustainability, we strive to offer a hand-up, rather than a handout.
Although there are local emergency shelters to get people off the streets at night, these shelters are not equipped to meet the long-term needs of their occupants. These programs, designed to address some of the immediate needs of the homeless, do not address the generational cycle of homelessness. Often, the children born into this environment of poverty and homelessness fall into the “societal crack”: growing up unaware of their own socioeconomic status. Accepting their parent’s lifestyle of dependency as “normal”, they grow to adopt it as their own way of life as they transition into adulthood. We at SOF have witnessed this cycle, as these children mature into adults and show the behavioral symptoms that often define generational homelessness.
We have come to realize over our years of experience in assisting homeless families, that homelessness is now categorized in American society as a lifestyle. For over 16 years, our groups of volunteers have witnessed the truth behind the statistic that children do indeed make up more than 40% of the homeless population. After seeing how this young generation is being affected by generational poverty, it has become apparent to our ministry that a large portion of poverty and homelessness is learned behavior, passed down through cycles of generational homelessness. Breaking the cycle of homelessness at this level, and putting children on the track to productive and contributing lives will reap compounding benefits, not only for them individually but will also simultaneously reduce the socioeconomic impact on the community.
Some of our current and past projects are as follows:
Angel Tree Program: This began in 2009 and was to provide Christmas gifts for children of homeless and low-income families in the seacoast area. Last year alone we provide 1000 gifts to some very appreciative children.
The Henry Bowden Fund: This was a fund to provide specifically for the elderly homeless, in the name of a recipient who with the fund help, was able to go from homeless to his own apartment to independence.
School Back Pack Program: providing hundreds of backpacks to children of low-income families including all the school supplies that they need.
Crossroads Saturday Lunch Program: For twelve years, we provided a fresh, healthy, and delicious bagged lunch for the residents at Crossroads homeless shelter.
Food Pantry: I started a food pantry in 2007 from my tiny little basement in my home. From there, we were able to secure a warehouse location where we serve over 235 families in 15 surrounding towns providing a weeks’ worth of meals, including meats, fresh produce, and baby needs.
Thrift Boutique: Established in 2011, the boutique acts as a sustainable revenue stream for our other entities. The boutique provides quality goods and clothing at reduced prices and also provides a place of employment for some of our residents at
Lydia’s House of Hope
Lydia’s House of Hope: This is our pilot and most recent passion program. It is a 12-month residential program for homeless woman and children. The program is designed to equip and develop foundational life skills for our residents. Many of our residents do not have the skill sets to bring themselves out of poverty and provide better lives for themselves or their children. Things that we take for granted like budgeting self-reliance, personal accountability and responsibility, are not part of how many of our residents have been brought up. We change old behavior’s and ways of living, and new skills and habits are learned put into practice and made a part of everyday life.
Our Licensed Social worker individually assesses each resident and crafts a resident-centric version of the program. Each resident will grow their life skills: how to obtain and maintain employment, how to balance a checkbook, and how to move their lives in a positive direction with accountability and responsibility.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My vision to end the generational cycle of homelessness and all that we have accomplished to date, could not have been done without the dedication, generosity, and support of so many people. It is overwhelming to think about all those that have joined me in this endeavor. The common thread of all of these people is the community as a whole. The community around us and how they have stepped up is amazing. For every person who does not see the daily needs around them, there are 20 more that do and are willing to pitch in, serve, mentor, or donate. From the elders in our community that want to give back, to the high school kids looking to put in community service hours, to the businessmen and woman who represent their organization’s charitable causes, to the neighbors who just want to help, these people have made all of our accomplishments possible.
There are a few in my heart that has believed in me from the start, have encouraged me to get started, or who have pushed me through the tough times:
My amazing and patient husband of 33years, Dave Tozier Without his support, I could have done any of the work of the last 16 years.
Pastor Denise Satrape: She is a mentor to me and helped me to find my voice.
Mary Schleyer: She believed and believes in me. Her foundation supported us financially and gave us a start.
Valdez family: The parents of Lydia, the heart of this house that turned their tragedy of losing their daughter into this legacy.
Ruth Earwood: She literally held my hand through the dark times and loved me unconditionally.
Mike Trojan: He developed the business plan for our organization. He helped to put on paper, the vision in my head to make it a reality.
Rob Cimini: He was our campaign manager and kept us accountable to pull the project through.
Dale Sprague: Our realtor and advisor for the house renovation project. when the house was completed, he stayed on and continues to provide guidance.
Contact Info:
- Address: 21 Grand Street
Somersworth, NH 03878 - Website: https://seedsoffaithnh.org
- Facebook: seedsoffaithnh
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