Meet Mileidis

Mileidis Mendoza, a business owner with a master’s in accounting, moved to the United States with her husband and their two sons in September 2019 because of the political and economic instability in their home country of Venezuela.

Upon arrival in the U.S., Mileidis found employment at a furniture warehouse where she worked 12-hour days, six days a week. During this time, her family of four lived in a two-bedroom apartment with eight other people.

Mileidis first visited The Storehouse in June 2021, and as is the case with most neighbors, her first interaction was with the Seven Loaves food pantry. During her visits to Seven Loaves, Mileidis learned about the other programs at The Storehouse, including Joseph’s Coat, Project Hope, and The Academy.

In the fall of 2022, Mileidis visited Joseph’s Coat, where she received clothing for her family, including two coats for her sons. During this time, she also enrolled in the English as a Second Language program in The Academy.

This year, The Storehouse more closely integrated Project Hope and The Academy to ensure that neighbors have the care they need at all stages of their journeys. The Project Hope team is positioned to support neighbors with resource connections, direct financial assistance, and mental health support. Through this integration, when Mileidis and her family moved to a space of their own, she connected with the Project Hope team, who was able to provide furnishings through a partner nonprofit.

“We must try, try, try because there is no bigger obstacle than the one we refuse to climb... I have experienced many good things from last fall until today, and I give thanks to God, my family and friends, The Academy and Lux Ice.”

- Mileidis Mendoza

The holistic care of The Storehouse culminated for Mileidis when she learned about the new job partnership program, and in May 2023, Mileidis was hired at The Storehouse’s first job partner, Lux Ice. In July, she was promoted to accounts payable specialist, which is a very similar role to the work that she did in Venezuela.

Today, Mileidis is thriving at Lux Ice and no longer has to visit our food pantry. She is on track to graduate from The Storehouse’s ESL program in May 2025. As she shared recently in response to a gold star that she has on her desk at Lux Ice, “that’s what I’m going to be.”