At Gather’s food pantry on West Road in Portsmouth, Priscilla Carr, 77, shops for the various organizations that she delivers to around the Seacoast, including Crossroads House shelter and St. Johns Church. Carr, who lives in Portsmouth and has an autoimmune disease, has been delivering food to others while using Gather’s services herself for years. “But for this place, as a single parent, my life would be even harder,” she says. “I’m widowed now, disabled, and I have two disabled [adult sons]. I’m still alive to talk about it though. It’s all good.”
On top of taking care of her sons, Carr takes care of those in need around the Seacoast, often driving for hours in her compact Toyota with BLUV on her license plates. “When I bring desserts to some of the kids at Crossroads House they jump around and my heart leaps,” she says. “‘Be love is here,’ they say.” Carr, who has lived in Portsmouth for three years, says she was forced to leave her home in Nottingham because she couldn’t handle walking up the stairs and making daily trips to Portsmouth with her sons.
Carr’s life has been shaped by helping others, previously as a Child Protective Services counselor for the state and today as a certified chaplain. “I was called to become a nun in my twenties but chose to get married and have children,” she says. “Today I’m living like a nun. I’m poor. I’m chaste. The only thing I’m not is obedient and that’s why I’m not in an order.” And she still heeds the call to help others.
Editor’s note: For information about Gather see the Food Insecurity story or visit garthernh.org.
Current Issue - May 2024