08/12/2026
Ricky will tell you straight, he knows exactly what he comes for.
"What I really come out here for is the dried cranberries," he says, laughing. "That's my sweet tooth… and it's healthy."
At 75, walking with a cane and carefully watching what he eats, he has learned to find joy in the small things. And a bag of dried cranberries, it turns out, can carry a lot of joy.
Last year, his life looked very different. After a series of circumstances beyond his control, he found himself without housing which is something he never anticipated and still reflects on. "I don't care how successful you've been in life," he says. "Circumstances happen. I never had a drug issue or anything. I just got in a bind and needed help."
He stayed at one of our Partner Agencies, where he received support during one of the hardest seasons of his life. His faith carried him through. And slowly, things shifted. He moved into a senior housing apartment in Phoenix, his own space, his own stability, his own front door to close at night.
Now he comes to our Neighborhood Food Pantry, planning each visit carefully around transportation and gas costs. He is intentional about everything he picks up, mindful of his health and his age. "Now that I'm getting older, I do pay attention to my intake."
"I'm excited to get here," he says simply. "I'm grateful."
For him, accepting help has never carried shame. He is a devout Christian, and he frames both giving and receiving as expressions of the same faith he has lived by his whole life. He has spent decades helping others, supporting people experiencing homelessness, walking alongside people finding their footing after addiction, believing with his whole heart in people's ability to get back on their feet.
"I've helped people all my life," he says. "And I just happen to need help now."
He does not see any contradiction in that. He sees the full circle of a life well lived, one that has known generosity on both sides, and is richer for it.
To the donors whose names he may never know, he has a message ready.
"Thank you," he says.
