Setting a Positive Example

Setting a Positive Example

Seantal, a Cincinnati native, started working in the warehouse industry shortly after graduating from high school. She realized she could take her career much further if she had her forklift certification.

Her mom encouraged her to apply for Freestore Foodbank’s LIFT the TriState program, where she would get hands-on training and certification to operate heavy machinery.

Seantal never realized Freestore Foodbank had programs like LIFT. “It was surprising they were teaching free programs like this,” she says. “But it’s great to have the opportunity to learn and to also get all that comes with being in the program.”

Working full time and then going to training has been taxing, but Seantal knows it will all be worth it when she’s able to create new career opportunities. And her career isn’t the only thing driving her to work so hard. Seantal wants to be a role model for her little brother. She says he doesn’t like school, and she wants him to see how important it is and that if she can do it, he can too.

“I tell him, ‘You’ve got to finish. If I can finish, you can do it too,’” she says. “So my brother is also my main reason why I want to do something — to show him that even if you don’t go to college, you have other options.”

Seantal is working hard to build a brighter future for herself and to inspire others. Your support makes it possible for neighbors like her to reach for their dreams.