From Shelter Resident to Staff Member: Shanta J.’s Full Circle Story
When Shanta J. arrived in Richmond from New York in October 1999 with just $900 to her name, she had no idea that one day she would return to The Salvation Army—not as someone seeking help, but as someone providing it.
Today, Shanta serves as an Administrative Assistant at The Salvation Army Central Virginia Area Command, helping others navigate challenges she understands firsthand.
After moving to Richmond, Shanta found herself in an abusive relationship while pregnant with her daughter. During one of the most difficult seasons of her life, she came to The Salvation Army Central Virginia for assistance and met then-Social Services Director Cherry Lee.
That meeting changed everything.
Cherry welcomed Shanta into the shelter while she was eight months pregnant and entrusted her with serving as a “welcome mother” for other women entering the program.
“It felt like an honor,” Shanta said. “I’d never been trusted with something like that before.”
The years that followed brought additional hardships, but Shanta never forgot the support she received. Through faith, determination, and the encouragement of people who believed in her, she built a stable life for her family.
Looking back, one prayer carried her through:
“Please God, show me where I need to be and put me where I need to be.”
Today, that same spirit guides her work at The Salvation Army.
“I know what they’re going through,” she said. “I’m here to help others feel safe, seen and heard.”
For Shanta, returning to The Salvation Army is more than a job.
“Being back here means the world,” she said. “I loved this place then, and I love it now. I can’t wait to go to work.”
In a remarkable full-circle moment, another familiar face recently re-entered the story.
Former Social Services Director Cherry Lee stopped by during the Angel Tree season to deliver donations. A staff member recognized her, and before long she was reconnecting with the ministry she helped lead years ago. The connection deepened when Salvation Army staff met Cherry’s son while distributing donuts at the Richmond VA Medical Center for National Donut Day. The very next week, Cherry returned to volunteer at the shelter where she once served families—including Shanta’s.
For Shanta, seeing Cherry again brought back memories of the woman who believed in her when she needed it most.
“You never know how God will use a moment, a conversation, or an act of kindness. Twenty-five years ago, I never imagined that Shanta and I would be standing here together again. God has a way of bringing things full circle in His timing. Seeing her now, helping others in the same place where she once found help herself, is a blessing and a reminder that God is always working behind the scenes.”
— Cherry Lee, former Social Services Director
Today, one woman who once found refuge at The Salvation Army is helping provide refuge for others. And one former director has returned to volunteer alongside the ministry she faithfully served.
Together, their stories remind us that hope has a way of coming full circle—and that God is often writing chapters we cannot yet see.
As for Shanta, her advice is simple:
“Pray. Pray. Pray. Don’t give up. We are here for a reason. We’ve got to find that reason.”
