Our Story
A Journey of Faith and Dependence on Christ
Around 2017, the Lord used a simple scroll through Facebook to plant a seed in my heart that ultimately would change my life. The post was from Greenville, SC County schools. They were using a food truck to deliver free meals to children during the summer.
My career as an HR Executive for over 20 years was fulfilling and something I loved. So it was strange that in 2018 the Lord began stirring in my heart to quit my job. As the year went on, the career that I had once loved began to become a daily chore. My career provided me a sense of safety and security. I had achieved the American Dream and had the lifestyle of a successful business professional. I began to bargain with God over quitting, making excuses of why I needed to stay in my job. However, by January of 2019, I knew I had to follow the Lord’s will, and with the love and support of my husband, friends, family, and church, I quit my job in February of 2019.
Now having quit my job, I began asking the Lord daily what would be next? I was given the gift of time, but I did not know how to intentionally leverage this time to give Him the glory? On February 6th, 2019, on one of my weekly jogs through downtown Belmont, it became clear that I was called to “feed hungry children and share His Gospel.” Shortly after this mountain top of hearing His voice, I began to question the Lord with How Lord? Who are the people? Where are the people? Then I asked, am I supposed to work on the food truck idea?
Over the last year of seeking data, facts, and figures that would aid me in building a business plan for the food truck idea, I was astonished to learn about the hunger need in Gaston County. My heart has been broken with the knowledge that over sixty percent of school-age children are accustomed to receiving a free or reduced-price lunch during the school year, but during the summer, the story is quite different. While some of these children have ways to receive a free lunch during the summer via the Summer Feeding Program hosted by Gaston County Schools, a large gap exists among the population of children, that are unable to get to where these meals are served. The gap of hunger included all ages of children, from elementary to high school. As I walked through doors and met people that God ordained along this path, I learned of neighborhoods being served in this county and in my town, but I also learned that the need for a mobile food delivery truck would complement the great and commendable efforts that are in place today via organizations and churches in my community to fill the hunger gap. The mobile food truck idea could indeed fill a unique need in our county and yes even in my town of Belmont. God took me on the fact-finding mission by using people such as Brad Rivers, Dallas Butler, Sue Johnson, Ann Hixson, Cliff Calvert, the late Reverend Alexander, and others to open my eye that even in my town of Belmont, where the main street flourishes with restaurants, coffee shops, shopping. In my town, just past the mix of new homes and old mansions, are neighborhoods that have children that are hungry when school is out of session. God had confirmed this, His purposefully planted idea, of having a mobile food delivery truck was not a perceived need. There was/is a real need for this in my community.
Miracle after miracle, and confirmation after confirmation concerning this ministry has continued and still continues. On August 27, 2019, Today’s Daily Bread became incorporated as a non-profit NC entity and to this very moment, the Lord’s hand has been at work in it all.
It has been so sweet to look back at my journal and see how the Lord has used these past few years. God has brought more instrumental people into the story of Today’s Daily Bread that are helping me build the foundation of this ministry. People such Preston Mintz, Craig Reutlinger, Kevin Ford, Chris Stowe, other pastors of local churches, Amber from Exodus Church, Bre Hager with Caromont Health, Larah Roberts a graphic design professional, Maggie Lee a website and design specialist, John Lee, Forest Reid and Charles Ried in the Reid Park Community of Belmont, Caren Berrier with Gaston County Schools, and Debbie Windley. In list order here are the things God provided from August 2019 to March 2020:
Our pre-packaged meals through Gaston County Schools Summer Feeding Program for free!
The truck through McKenney Chevrolet - Picked it up on January 13, 2020 - this was a free gift to the ministry!
An opportunity to speak at a Community Thanksgiving Service where a love offering was taken for TDB.
Larah and Maggie to create the Logo, the website, and other social media pages for free!
A Relationship with Exodus Church.
Community leaders in the Reid Park Community partnered with me to support this ministry.
Funds through family, friends, and corporations to up-fit the truck totaling 15K!
Opportunities to apply to four (4) Foundations.
The Hicks Family Foundation awarded a gift to the ministry!
Experts such as Debbie Windly on my path.
Free bottles of water through Choice USA Beverage Inc. (SunDrop).
This is just a shortlist of miracles God has performed for this ministry. He is not finished putting this ministry together. Jesus is the focal point of this story. He will remain the focal point of this ministry as our story continues.
