KERRY-LYNN’S STORY: WHEN A WEEKLY MEAL BECOMES SOMETHING MORE

Kerry-Lynn didn’t know where she belonged anymore.

As a single mom navigating a painful separation, ongoing medical challenges, and the daily responsibility of caring for her girls, life had narrowed. Community felt complicated. Relationships felt uncertain. Even faith—once familiar—felt harder to reach.

“I didn’t know where I belonged anymore,” she said. “I just needed to be around people.”

Two friends invited her to come to a weekly Feed the Need site. They didn’t give a long explanation. They simply invited her to show up. So one Wednesday night, she did.

What she found was simple—a grill, volunteers serving meals, people gathering—but what she experienced was deeper. She was welcomed without question, offered a meal without strings, and seen without judgment.

In a season where stability felt fragile, that simple act mattered.

A Firm Foundation in an Unsteady Season

Kerry-Lynn came back the next week. And then the next.

Feed the Need isn’t a one-time outreach. It’s a consistent, weekly presence—same place, same people, same heart. Over time, that consistency created a sense of safety. And safety made room for trust.

One evening, she stepped into the greeting line alongside her friends. After showing her what to do, they moved on to serve elsewhere. Suddenly, Kerry-Lynn found herself welcoming guests, listening to stories, and praying with people she had never met before.

One prayer in particular stayed with her.

“The words I prayed for her were the words God wanted me to hear for myself,” she said. “He put me exactly where I needed to be.”

In the middle of a season marked by upheaval, Kerry-Lynn realized God was becoming her steady ground again—her firm foundation when everything else felt uncertain.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.”  (Psalm 18:2)

God met her not just through words, but through people—through presence, prayer, and a community willing to walk with her.

More Than a Meal

As weeks turned into months, something began to change.

Volunteers noticed when Kerry-Lynn wasn’t there. Guests remembered her name. Her daughters were welcomed and included. They began helping run food, make signs, and create cards—small acts that made them feel valued and safe.

And then something unexpected happened.

“I started seeing people around town who recognized me,” she said. “I didn’t know I could find a community that extended into my whole life.”

The meal met a physical need.
The conversations met a social need.
The care met an emotional need.
The prayer met a spiritual need.

This is the heart of Feed the Need Missions—meeting people where they are and addressing the deeper forms of poverty that so often remain unseen. Hunger is real, but so is isolation. So is fear. So is the quiet ache of feeling disconnected from God and others.

Scripture speaks directly to this kind of ministry:

“If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness… and the Lord will guide you continually.”  (Isaiah 58:10–11)

From Receiving to Serving

Kerry-Lynn didn’t just receive care—she began to give it.

She had served in ministry before but felt hesitant about praying with adults. At Feed the Need, God gently stretched her. Week after week, she prayed with people carrying heavy burdens—grief, addiction, financial stress, loneliness.

And through those moments, God was shaping her as well.

“Sometimes I say something to someone else and realize I need to hear it too,” she said. “God is working in all of us.”

What formed wasn’t a program. It was relationships—real, patient, disciple-making relationships built through consistency and care.

A Living Picture of the Mission

Kerry-Lynn’s story reflects what Feed the Need Missions exists to do:

• Believers mobilized to love their neighbors.
• Physical needs met with dignity.
• Spiritual needs addressed with grace.
• Relationships formed that lead to healing and growth.

“It wasn’t just hamburgers,” she said. “It was people really caring about each other. I found a place where I could heal—and a place where I could serve.”

Her story is one of many, but it captures the heart of the mission: showing up consistently, loving people well, and trusting God to do the deeper work.

One meal.
One conversation.
One relationship at a time.

As the year comes to a close, we invite you to prayerfully ask how God might have you be part of this work. Any year-end gift you make will be matched by a generous donor, doubling the impact and helping us continue bringing hope, meals, and connection to our communities.