November 2021
“Empathy means having the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. My grandma had this. So does Friendly House. Friendly House is the rock that brings our community together to serve those that need it most.”
Tonya Hobson is relatively new to Friendly House, having joined our Board of Directors this past spring. After hearing her story, however, it becomes abundantly clear that Friendly House is absolutely the place where she belongs. Tonya kindly shared the following story about her family and the values that she holds dear.
“This is personal to me and isn’t something that I share often.
The person that made the most impact on me in my life was my Grandma Clara. Her mom was Native American and growing up was tough for her. My Grandma grew up in a shack, in a holler (i.e. hollow) in Virginia. Even though she only had a 3rd-grade education, she taught me more than anyone else ever could. When she was old enough to leave home and get married, my grandpa, a coal miner at the time, melted down a toothbrush to make a ring and put it on her finger. They had 12 children together (later, 36 grandchildren) and at Christmas, each child would receive an orange as their gift. I remember growing up, listening to her play old gospel bluegrass on her banjo. She knew every song by heart and played for 80 years! Later in life, after my grandpa passed, her only income was Social Security. At the time, this was only $600 per month.
The values that she instilled in me, I also see in Friendly House. She was so compassionate towards others and never put herself first. If someone was in need, she would give them the clothes off her back, if able. And her comfort cooking could make anyone feel better—eggs, sausage, grits, biscuits, and mouth-watering gravy with a cup of her extremely strong coffee. She would listen for hours if you needed someone. I didn’t notice until I got older that my grandma never gave her opinions and never spoke about anyone to others. This included family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. She considered everyone to be God’s children. Even with such a large family, my grandma still included everyone. She didn’t care about your political views, social status, sexual orientation, who you married or not, or any rumors that may have been going around. She cared most about what was inside you. She was the rock that kept our family together.
Empathy means having the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. My grandma had this. So does Friendly House. Friendly House is the rock that brings our community together to serve those that need it most.”
Tonya’s Grandma Clara embodied the values of a connected and equitable community, and we are so pleased to have folks like Tonya working with us to promote compassion, inclusion and interdependence in our community every day.
A huge thank you to Tonya for sharing her story and being a part of this project!
If there is someone whose story you would like to hear or if you would like to share your Friendly House story, please reach out to us by emailing info@fhpdx.org.