As we celebrate nine years of serving, we continue to see God’s faithfulness in financial provision and through the relationships we are building with those we serve. What a gift! Because of your support of and prayers for Grace’s Kitchen, volunteers have been able to minister to people in need in many ways in 2018.
Once again we served 52 breakfasts in Linn Park.Because of the Lord’s faithfulness, we haven’t missed a breakfast in nine years! Each Thursday, truth is shared in our devotion time, in conversations, and through the handwritten scripture cards in the lunch bags. We have prepared more than 50 weekly dinners for men attending a neighborhood Bible studyin South East Lake.
In January, we began serving lunch on Wednesdays to YouthBuildparticipants at Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in West End. This program works with 16- to 24-year-olds who are unemployed and not in school. The students receive GED instruction and construction skills job training, with the goal of helping them find jobs. The hot lunches we provide mean so much to the students, some of whom experience food insecurity. One Wednesday, three YouthBuilders came to the kitchen to help make their lunch for the day. It was a neat opportunity to get to know them as we cooked!
Almost every Monday night for close to five years, we have served dinner to the men at Changed Lives Christian Center. We serve dinner at Brother Bryan Mission each Thursday evening; this relationship has continued for almost four years. The men at both facilities really enjoy the meals that our volunteers prepare and serve. These dinners allow us to build relationships through food. At both facilities, we have become reaquainted with park friends who are making positive changes. It is a blessing to see a new chapter in these men’s lives! Both programs are committed to sharing the transforming power of the gospel with the men, and we see first-hand that life-giving faith in Christ makes all the difference. We have committed volunteers who come each week to serve, and their investment in the men is a huge encouragement.
Since July, on the last Monday of the month, we serve dinner at Interfaith Hospitality House, the only homeless shelter for families, particularly those with teenage boys, in Birmingham. This opportunity opened the door for us to provide dinner two times a month for a YWCA support groupfor women leaving domestic abuse situations.
During the school year, we provide lunch twice a month to students at Banks Academy,a Christian high school in East Lake. For six months of the year, we have fed dinner to the parents attending monthly meetings of theShelby County Foster Parents Association.In October, a group of volunteers from a local accounting firm prepared30 frozen mealsto for us to give away to those who are sick, hurting, and grieving.The Lord has faithfully brought opportunities to show His love through these meals. (If you know of a need for one of these meals, please let us know.) Our relationship with aTeam Ministries,which serves families affected by pediatric cancer, continues as we regularly provide snack baskets with homemade treats for the staff to take on hospital visits.
It is overwhelming to look at this list and see how many doors God has opened for Grace’s Kitchen to share the gospel of Jesus Christ by feeding people. In total, more than 13,000 plates of homemade foodhave been served this year. None of this would be possible without those who financially support Grace’s Kitchen as well as our faithful kitchen and serving volunteers. We are humbled by God’s provision. To Him alone be the glory!