Grace Family Church runs soup kitchen
By Sarah Whitman
Senior Staff Writer
LUTZ — A few weeks ago, a 52-year-old man named Miles was living on Tampa’s streets. Then, he heard about an outdoor soup kitchen on Nebraska Avenue and decided to check it out. He didn’t know it was a ministry of Grace Family Church, or that volunteers were working to change lives. He simply wanted a hot meal.
At the soup kitchen, Miles met a volunteer named Nan Caldwell, who runs a halfway house in Thonotosassa. Now, Miles is no longer living on the street. When he visits the soup kitchen, he wears the shirt of a volunteer.
“This soup kitchen is a blessing for people who are in dire straits,” Miles said, enjoying a plate full of rice and casserole. “I was homeless. I was angry at the world. I came here and I met Nan. She showed me a whole different perspective. She offered me real love. This is a place where people really care.”
Grace Family Church started its soup kitchen eight years ago, when a teenager named Adam Skinner wanted to do something more to help the hungry. The outreach started in a parking lot behind the U Save off Livingston Avenue. It has moved around throughout the years. The kitchen is currently open from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday nights at 14751 N. Nebraska Ave.
“All of us have struggles in our lives,” said April Dean, outreach coordinator for Grace. “We want to be available to help people who are in need. This is one way we can help.”
Volunteers meet at Grace, 5101 Van Dyke Road, at 5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays to pack food into the church’s truck and trailer. Grace receives most of the food served from Metropolitan Ministries. They also order pizzas to take and volunteers make soups. Meals include breads, meats, veggies and desserts.
Rain, sleet or shine, the church’s truck arrives at the soup kitchen site on time.
“When we drive up, there are usually already people waiting,” Dean said. “We’ve had numbers close to the 100s before.”
Volunteers hurry to set up folding tables and open the serving line.
Grace member Rudy Trosin volunteers whenever he can.
“Being a Christian isn’t about sitting around, you got to go out and do something to help people,” Trosin said. “These people out here don’t look any different than me. The way I see it, I stub my toe somewhere along the way and I could be out here needing food.”
Miles’ story echoes Trosin’s statement.
“I had a wife and a home,” Miles said. “I made some bad choices and I just gave up. I asked God to help me, and he did, in His time. He sent someone to care for me.”
That person was Caldwell; whose halfway house is an outreach of the ministry, God Works! The ministry contacted Grace a few months ago to help out with the soup kitchen. Caldwell and her volunteers help by bringing food and offering support to those who need a place to go.
God Works! volunteer Tommy Vien cooks food to bring almost every week.
“I was homeless for awhile,” Vien said. “It was a devastating time in my life. I just couldn’t find a job. I still can’t find a job. So I’m working as a volunteer with this ministry. They took me in and helped me out. Now, I want to give back.”
Dean and other Grace members are thankful to God Works!.
“They help out a lot with food and they really care,” Dean said.
Aside from God Works! most all volunteers come from Grace. Church members of all ages give time to the cause, including teens.
“It’s good to give back to the community,” said 17-year-old Gina Muto. “I like helping.”
Dean said teens can learn a lot by serving at the kitchen.
“It helps them to realize the homeless are people just like us,” she said. “Some of the stories of the homeless that come to the soup kitchen are really encouraging.”
Dean remembers one story in particular.
“There was a man who kept coming to the soup kitchen,” Dean said. “He told us he wanted to change and made a commitment to go to rehab. We helped him go through rehab and now he comes back to the kitchen sometimes to share his testimony.”
Dean was happy to learn about Miles, who she considers an example of God’s miraculous ways.
Miles is happy to share his testimony with anyone in need of encouragement.
“I have a place to lay my head now,” he said. “I am content. There are a lot of hurting people out there. This soup kitchen is a good place for them to come.”
For information on Grace Family Church outreach programs, contact April Dean at (813) 265-4151.
