From Parts to Parcel: Jennah Miller
The worlds of welders and florists seem vastly different. One uses heat to unite pieces of hard metal, and the other blends a colorful arrangement of soft flowers. But, both professions join smaller parts together into more beautiful and useful creations. Even before trying her hand at both jobs, Jennah Miller, 24, had a history of pulling together the pieces of her life to create beauty.
When addiction is present in a family, the ties that hold them together become thin and worn. “It’s an internal battle all the time,” Jennah said, describing the weight she held on her shoulders as she witnessed members of her own family caught in the throes of addiction. Seeing those closest to you go through these trials is often the wake up call necessary to make the opposite choices yourself. Jennah has the empathy required to show those struggling with substance abuse disorders that any day can be the day to turn your life around.
Jennah’s experience led her to be the role model she is today. Currently, she is a peer recovery coach at Catholic Charities where she aids in everything from helping addicts into rehab to packaging and delivering meals for those who have no other food options. The food route serves between 150 - 200 people Monday through Friday.
As she went about her normal routine of packing the meals for her meal route, she and two other coworkers took note of one of the Mustard Seed Mountain vendors consistently standing outside her workplace, hands filled with papers to sell. Jennah noticed his persistent excitement about being given the opportunity to earn his own income, and she realized this could be a reality for many more. She could not force others to take on this vendor position, but it was in her power to deliver the news held within these papers.
As soon as the first paper was released at the beginning of July, Catholic Charities requested 250 papers to add in with the meals delivered on meal routes. She and her team would not only be delivering meals, but they would be delivering important, free, and communal news to those who may be unreachable by the street vendors.
Jennah has become her own kind of vendor. By carrying knowledge of addiction, she understands the importance of the information shared in this paper. She believes that it gives the readers something to look forward to and offers a chance for salvation instead of waiting around for something positive to fall out of the sky. “A lot of the time, when people get far down that hole of drug abuse, they don’t think there’s any way for them to get out,” she explained. Many of those receiving the papers do not have cell phones or laptops, so this is an analog solution to the barrier of technology.
Jennah has used her platform to turn lives around. Once flowers, and then metal, now she has perfected the coalescence of lives as well. Her loving support allows for beautiful results to be made from what had once lost purpose. “You just need to give someone a little bit of purpose, and they can go far with it,” she said.