Mental health is something I don't fully understand. Serious mental illness runs in my family, and chances are, it touches yours too. Maybe you've lived through a difficult season—depression, anxiety, or something harder—or walked with someone else through it. Mental illness is more common than we admit, and more complex than it appears.

I met Maria in Harlem on a brisk April day in 2020. The city had come to a standstill. The world was telling everyone to "stay home," but Maria didn't have one. We were standing under the Metro-North tracks on Park Avenue, handing out meals in a city that had shuttered itself. As an organization, we didn't know what the consequences would be if we kept showing up. But we knew what would happen if we didn't.

"Steve" is smart, articulate, and kind. But years of surviving on the street had aged him well beyond his years. His beard, tattered clothes, and slouched shoulders reflected what his quiet voice confirmed—he was struggling.