By james art BATON ROUGE – Throughout her childhood, Tamaika Cook was in foster care. She was emancipated at the age of 16. From that point until her 30s, she struggled with homelessness.
“I was running from house to house,” she said.
Now that she has a stable lifestyle, she strives to help those going through similar situations. Since August, she’s been preparing home-cooked meals and taking them to homeless shelters in downtown Baton Rouge. She goes to different communities to spread the word about what she does.
“I usually go out into the city center and reach out to people and give them food. I helped some people at One Stop with clothes, medical care and transportation,” she said.
Cook’s life experience was not her only inspiration. She says her grandmother used to distribute home-cooked meals to those in need. She feels it is important to follow her legacy.
“My goal is to reach mostly those who are really in need because they are neglected,” she said.
Her ultimate goal is to start a non-profit organization to serve those who share similar life experiences. A group home for runaways and a center for recovering addicts are two things she would like to accomplish. She encourages those in need to take action to get out of their situation and not be afraid to seek help.
“As long as you have breath in your body and you’re capable, you can do it. You can’t feel sorry for yourself because of the circumstances you’re in. You have to get up and do something about the situation,” she said.
Cook also shared that one of the first things she did to help herself was to strengthen her faith. She thinks it has helped her a lot.
“Seek God and ask God to honor your steps. Let God lead the way,” she said.