Porshea Johnson is a vibrant person inside and out. Her positivity is highly contagious and her faith in God is equally inspiring. Porshea’s story is one of triumph, perseverance, and strength. She is a single parent raising two bright young sons with limited resources while being a full-time student at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Her commitment to service and excellence is extraordinary and helped her be a recipient of Nina Mason Pulliam Legacy Scholarship and an Ambassador. Porshea is developing her servant leadership skills as an intern with Indescribable Gift Inc., a non-profit organization in Indianapolis.
Porshea’s journey has been filled with many adversities, including homelessness and food insecurity after making the decision to leave an unhealthy marriage and relocate from California to Indianapolis to pursue a better quality of life for her and her sons. After receiving support for housing, Porshea and her sons still faced the challenges of food insecurity while living in a food desert area. Thanks to a concerned neighbor, Porshea learned about Mid-North Food Pantry programs and services. Grateful that food service programs exist in mid-north Indianapolis, Porshea and her sons were able to benefit from eating nutritious meals through MNFP’s Sunday meal program and receive groceries from the pantry. “MNFP services allowed me to feed my family when I did not have the resources or transportation to always do it myself. Not only that, but honestly, organizations like MNFP have allowed me to witness the importance of philanthropy and how they play an intricate role to empower our fellow neighbors on the road to self-sufficiency and build a hopeful community” said Porshea.
Not only is Porshea thankful for MNFP’s programs and services, she is also especially appreciative for the level of service provided from the volunteer staff. Porshea said, “I was very impressed by the kind volunteer staff. They were excited to serve and I am grateful.”
Empowered through various support services and scholarships, Porshea is on track to graduate from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy spring 2018, which happens to be on Mother’s Day and her birthday. After graduation, she will continue to pursue her career goals in nonprofit management, entrepreneurship, and motivational speaking – sharing her life story to encourage others to achieve their full potential.