Healing, hope, and a future reclaimed: Moneka Hemby's journey

When Moneka Hemby walked into the Sentara Community Care Center in Newport News, Virginia, for the first time, she wasn’t just looking for groceries. She was fighting for her health, her stability, and her future.

In August 2024, on her way to work as an X-Ray technician, Moneka suffered a mini stroke which forced her onto short-term, and then long-term, disability. 

Overnight, her income dropped in half.

“That change sent my finances into a downward spiral,” she said. Like two-thirds of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, she suddenly found herself one emergency away from crisis.

Her employer referred her to call 211, which connected her to the food bank located within the Sentara Community Care Center. 

What she found there, she said, “helped me more than I could’ve ever imagined.”

Food as medicine

Inside the food bank lobby, Moneka picked up educational pamphlets on hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol. She began following the guidance immediately.

“I was able to get fresh ginger, lemons, limes, greens, sweet potatoes, all the things I needed but couldn’t afford,” she said. “Vegetables and fruits are sky high in the store. But every week, they always had garlic, ginger, kale, collards. Ginger alone is really expensive.”

The impact was dramatic:

• 42 pounds lost
• Blood pressure regulated
• Migraines reduced from 5–6 per week to one or none
• Pain and inflammation improved
• Depression lifted
• Mobility restored, from a wheeled walker, to a cane, to walking independently most days

Today, Moneka relies on a cane only occasionally, when nerve-related swelling causes pain in her right leg.

“I got my life back,” she said. “I’m doing the healthy stuff. I’m so used to being in pain, but now I’m not.”

A partnership that changes lives

For Olivia Gibbons, foodhub coordinator with Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, which offers the food bank in partnership with Sentara, stories like Moneka’s are rare and powerful.

“Not everyone shares their story,” she said. “Sometimes you hear a simple ‘thank you,’ but it’s rare to hear how we’ve impacted someone’s health or mental well-being. As a proud partner of Sentara, our motto is ‘Food is Medicine,’ and Ms. Hemby’s testimony shows that this mission truly makes a difference.”

Gibbons hopes more families will seek help without hesitation.

“There are still misconceptions about what a food bank is,” she said. “But with so many Americans unable to cover a $1,000 emergency expense, more families are going to need resources like ours.”

A ripple effect of recovery

Moneka’s progress has already changed her family’s trajectory. Her daughter, who paused college when Moneka became ill, is now preparing to enroll at Regent University.

“Because I’m doing better,” Moneka said, “she can start again.”

Even in the midst of her own healing, while preparing for an upcoming move and a medical procedure, Moneka is thinking about how to give back.

“Anything I can do to help people understand the impact of the food bank, I want to do it,” she said. “I really appreciate all of the support.”

Her story is a powerful reminder that access to nutritious food, compassionate care, and community support can do more than meet a need—they can transform a life.

Donor support makes stories like Moneka’s possible. Through the Sentara Foundation’s Community Health & Wellness program, funding helps provide the food, education, and support that fuel real recovery. Help make an impact—donate today at sentarafoundation.org.