Joshua was a young man, approximately 34, who was homeless and wanted to change his life. He wanted to get off drugs, reunite with his family, and make a better life for his daughter who lives in New Jersey. He came to the Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch (FAOIAM)  Breakfast Program multiple times with nothing to give and decided one day to ask how he could achieve his goals. That began the change in his life.

Putting God first, understanding the changes he had to make, and learning about the resources FAOIAM offered, he began the road home. Upon completing a drug rehab program, with a resume in his hand and access to a computer, a job was offered to him starting at $21 per hour. He now does computer art programming. He opened a savings and checking account. Using other FAOIAM programs, he got housing and was able to purchase a vehicle. He later moved to New Jersey and was reunited with his daughter. He has been drug-free for five years and he communicates regularly with FAOIAM staff members, letting them know about his life. None of this would have been possible if he hadn’t come to the Breakfast Program and shared with the staff and volunteers that he wanted to change his life.

Chef James Belton, FAOIAM Breakfast Program/Kitchen Manager, and staff member shares, “Being able to give back to a community with lots of potential, the Breakfast Program supports men and women who have fallen on hard times and need to restart—and in most cases, start a new beginning. For most people, this can be the only meal they get in a day. The Breakfast Program to me is letting the Light of God shine through us to prove that there is a better future.”

The FAOIAM Breakfast Program impacts each of our families in many ways. We bring more than sixty church volunteer teams to minister to our family with the ultimate goal to lift up and equip this marginalized population to financial self-sufficiency while knowing the Word of God.

Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch received a 2021 Peeler/Casey Fund grant. Does your congregation have a community ministry partner who could benefit from this NC Synod Fund? Connect them with the application form and remind them that the deadline to apply is Sunday, April 30, 2023. Learn more and apply today!