I first connected with Chaplains on the Harbor when I was homeless in Westport and I stayed at the church/shelter that Sarah opened. In the beginning of 2018, I volunteered to help out on Harbor Roots farm and ended up sticking around because I was offered a job.

I am currently the farm manager and also do some administrative work for the organization. I chose to stick around because I love the people I work with and who they are as individuals; I believe there is not enough people in the world doing this type of work, and I have a debt to repay to my community for some of the damage I did while in active addiction, and I cannot leave until my work is done.

One of the things that I am most proud of having been able to do since my time with this organization is the fact that I got to go to Washington DC and testify before Congress as a representative of the homeless veteran population. I would say that I am also proud to have been a factor in helping to change people’s minds in regards to the current paradigm surrounding addiction, homelessness, and poverty.

The thing I would like to do most is to continue to educate the public and open meaningful lines of communication between opposing viewpoints of these issues in an attempt to cooperatively forge a path forward for a better community and society as a whole.