Published 12:39 IST, September 9th 2020
Good news: Homeless woman who slept in parking lot for a year gets hired by grocery store
After spending almost a year in a parked car outside a supermarket, LaShneda Williams is now making the most of a life-changing opportunity.
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After spending almost a year in a parked car outside a supermarket, LaShneda Williams is now making the most of a life-changing opportunity. According to international media reports, Williams had been battling drug addiction and had experienced abuse, which made it difficult for her to find work and a stable home. She had been spending nights in her car at a Nashville Kroger after driving around different location during the day.
What a great story!! LaShenda Williams, who was homeless & slept in her car at the Inglewood @Kroger, asks Asst. Mgr Jackie Vandal for a job & gets hired! Ms. Williams eventually gets an apartment & becomes a reliable employer. Wow!!! @Tennessean @NC5 @WKRN @WSMV @FOXNashville pic.twitter.com/GijZISTSXq
— DocZoom (@Doc_Zoom) September 5, 2020
It was the end of the last year that the 46-year-old crossed paths with Kroger hiring manager Jackie Vandal, who noticed Williams and encouraged her to attend a job fair. As per reports, on the day of the job fair, Vandal told Williams, who was one of the first applicants, that she would need to fill out an application online. Williams later appeared, applied online for the job, and once she had successfully filled out the application, Vandal hired her on the spot.
Kroger ‘lucky’ to have Williams
While speaking to a local US media outlet, WKRN, Vandal praised Williams and said that she is a ‘fantastic worker’. Melissa Eads, who is a corporate affairs manager for Kroger Nashville Division reportedly added that the company is ‘so lucky’ to have Williams as part of their family. Eads went on to said that Williams’ uplifting spirit is contagious and she has made a positive impact on her fellow team members and customers as well.
The 46-year-old reportedly said that she is grateful for the opportunity and wants to keep working hard. Williams added that for the first time in her life, she got to know what love is. ’Now I know what friendship is,’ she said.
According to reports, its already been eight months since Williams secured the job at the Kroger supermarket. She is currently living in an apartment which her colleagues and community member helped furnish. Williams reportedly said that ‘all babies here love me. No one abuses me, and no one calls me dumb and stupid. For the first time in my life, I finally got peace’.
12:39 IST, September 9th 2020