Page 64 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2023

GIVING BACK
Feed My Sheep
story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of Feed My Sheep
Feed My Sheep is a non-judgmental, faith based program dedicated to providing nourishment to the homeless, homebound and needy of the Gulfport area.
“Even though there is no structured religious element of the Feed My Sheep program, the Christian Spirit is alive and well in everything we do,” says Ted Riemann, who’s been involved with the organization for many years. “When Jesus instructed his disciples to ‘feed my sheep,’ He not only meant physical nourishment, but also spiritual nourishment. We provide our service on a no-questions- asked basis. If you walk through our door in your hour of need, or request a meal for a shut-in, we will be there for you.”
The organization serves 10,000-12,000 meals a month and gives away on average 10,000 pounds of food each month to soup kitchens in Harrison and Hancock Counties. It’s grown quite a lot since 1984 when it served approximately 20 homeless people hot meals out of a vacant Gulfport restaurant.
“We’re doing this by the grace of God and the blessings of a community that helps us,” Riemann said. ”We’ve been able to extend the mission that way.”
In 1983, a small group of concerned Christians planted a seed of hope for hungry and needy persons in the Gulfport area when they came together and founded the Gulf Coast Christian Life Center, with Feed My Sheep as an outreach program. Serving the hungry began the next year.
When Hurricane Katrina destroyed their facility, Feed My Sheep was forced to halt operations for a while. In January 2009 their new, state-of-the-art facility was opened with 6,000 square feet of space.
Cooks, servers, delivery drivers and other volunteers, along with donations, are always welcome.
Feed My Sheep
2615 19th St., Gulfport • 228.864.2701 • www.feedmysheepgulfport.org
64 | December 2023
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