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Church Offers Site For New Soup Kitchen

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 25, 2008

BRANDON - A nonprofit organization hoping to open a soup kitchen to feed the Brandon area's homeless finally has a home for its I Am Hope Cafe.

After searching for more than a year for a site, Project HOPE board of directors announced plans last week to open the cafe at First Baptist Church, 11619 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Mango.

The church has offered the group space in a building formerly used for Sunday school classes.

"At one time, First Baptist had a school there, but as the population aged, they no longer needed the school, so they had this empty classroom space available," said Project HOPE board member Skip Wilson.

The organization, whose name is an acronym for Helping Other People Excel, includes faith-based organizations and nonprofit groups that joined forces to help Brandon's growing homeless population.

Project HOPE members will turn three of the church's classrooms into one 12-by-75-foot room with a kitchen and serving station on one end. The remainder of the space will be occupied by eight 8-foot-long tables where homeless men and women will be served hot meals five days a week.

More tables can be set up outside on days when the weather permits, said Project HOPE board member Carrie Childs.

Contractor Mitch Burley of Mitch Burley Construction in Brandon has volunteered to help with the renovations. The group is seeking donations of tables, an ice machine, a refrigerator and freezer, a triple sink and other items they will need to outfit the soup kitchen.

Organizers hope to have the doors of I Am Hope Cafe open by Aug. 1.

There will be no cooking on site. Food will be donated by Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa and include meat, vegetables, casseroles and potato dishes. Volunteers are welcome to supply salads, desserts and sandwiches to go.
Project HOPE chairman Vince Ferraro also hopes to offer medical services, haircuts and other services periodically.

Five groups that have signed on as directors of Project HOPE will make monthly donations to offset costs and provide volunteers to serve meals from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays.

Leaders at First Baptist requested that the cafe not be open Wednesdays because the church has services that day.

The five organizers are Bay Life Church, Concerned Action InChrist, the Emergency Care Help Organization, First Presbyterian Church of Brandon and the River of Life United Methodist Cluster, which is made up of seven United Methodist churches.
Project HOPE also has formed an auxiliary headed by Dale Kahn of Congregation Beth Shalom for any group that would like to help but can't afford to pay dues.

"This is for people that want to be a part of Project HOPE, who would like to help it grow but can't make the commitment of a director," Kahn said. The auxiliary will have two seats on the Project HOPE board of directors. Anyone interested in joining can e-mail Kahn at dalekahn@hotmail .com.

Kahn also is in the process of developing a Web site for Project HOPE.

Anyone interested in volunteering for or making a donation to the organization can call (813) 689-7153 or write to vince@fhhcpa.com.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

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