Born in Jennings, Louisiana, Rossie is one of 12 siblings. Rossie currently lives in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood, where she raised 6 children of her own, who, now grown, have added 17 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren to her large extended family.
Food is central at Rossie's family get-togethers. She keeps busy preparing large meals like gumbo, which she says is “something that the family always looks forward to.”
The broader community is extremely important to Rossie as well. Not only does she take care of her own grandchildren, she is also a foster parent. Rossie says, “I was always around so many kids in the neighborhood that had needs. If they had a dirty coat, by the time they left my house, it was washed and dried.”
The strength of the community is what has attracted Rossie to taking on the role of foster parent. “With the community, my family got even larger. We all looked out for each other.”
Once she was diagnosed with diabetes, it was time for someone to help Rossie. That’s where Project Open Hand stepped in. For the past two year Rossie has received our nutritious meals which have allowed her to get a handle on her health.
“I’m a diabetic, and it was just out of hand. When I started at Project Open Hand, I was getting prepared meals that had the nutrition I needed, ready to eat.”
Now, Rossie looks forward to coming into Project Open Hand to get groceries weekly, and says, “it really tears me up if I miss picking up those healthy ingredients.”
In fact, Rossie was a participant in our Food = Medicine Pilot Study in partnership with UCSF. After participating in the study, Rossie says, “My A1C count has been up to 12% in the past, and after receiving these meals, it went down to 8%. They want it to be at 6.5%, so I’m not there yet but I am certainly on my way.”
Rossie concludes, “I feel a whole lot better after the food, and they were able to decrease my medications.”
Check out the complete study, published this month in the peer-reviewed Journal of Urban Health.
Also be on the lookout for Rossie's picture placed on MUNI buses and BART stations all over the Bay Area as part of our Outdoor Awareness Campaign!