Their Addiction to Her Cooking

The clock strikes 1:20 a.m. and she rolls out of her king-sized bed, layered in decorative pillows and a fluffy blanket.

She takes her short, black hair out of the plastic rolls that held them hostage and quickly applies a coat of liquid foundation over her worn face. She prays just before leaving the bathroom, slips on her crocs and leaves to adventure out into the darkness.

She pulls into the dark, deserted parking lot of the building and searches for her gate keys. Once inside, she turns on the lights and her day begins.

[I have to describe how she goes about opening after she turns on the lights because this is a peaceful time for her, according to her.]

Her hands covered in powdery flour, Loretta Lundy scurries over to the oven to save her three-layer vanilla cake that she is preparing.

“Loretta! Get out here please. People are asking where the great chef is,” said the head manager Gary Johnson.

Loretta partially wipes her hands on the tan apron that drapes around her neck, fixes her skirt and heads out the kitchen doors.

The room is filled with people. Old, young, some pregnant, even children. They all share something in common. They are either strung out on drugs, living with deadly diseases, or experiencing physical abuse.

So why are they here? Because they are home.

Loretta Lundy has cooked for Gateway Community Services, an addiction recovery community, for over 30 years. In the beginning of her career, she started off just preparing meals for the breakfast portion. As time progressed, addicts became addicted to her meals and requested she fulfilled all meals for the entire day.

So she did.