I manage the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen in Augusta. Every day, I am witness to the cruelty of mental illness and the way it skews a person’s perception of reality.

For nine years, Tonia Porter (article, May 12) volunteered two days a week at the soup kitchen. She always arrived on time, neatly dressed, served cheerfully, and was an enthusiastic floor mopper. I had no inkling of her despicable crime; thankfully not many of us can go to that dark and unfathomable place that would lead us to starve his or her child to death. I knew Porter only as the dedicated volunteer that she was and, being ignorant of her crime, I was spared from judging her.

My daughter probably was born the same year as hers. Porter always asked after my daughter, and she always gave me a Mothers’ Day card.

The online commenters should not dismiss her as a “scum bag” and “not worth a dime.” She must surely walk around in her own hell every day.

I would ask anyone about to post a negative angry comment online instead to do something positive. They should walk out into their community (the real one) and do a simple kindness. They will be amazed at how much lighter any burden that they carry becomes. Take the time to talk to folks who are marginalized in society.

Patsy Tessier

Dresden

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