Harvest Outreach feeds community through Loaves and Fishes, provides sober living residences

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The vision of Harvest Outreach, which began in 2010, is to create a Christ-centered community where people and families facing hunger, addiction and hardship can find restoration, support and a path to lasting recovery.

Harvest Outreach provides sober living residences for both women and men, as well as life coaching, job placement, workforce readiness training, pastoral counseling and financial counseling.

Harvest House also provides meals to the Hannibal community through the Loaves and Fishes program. For more than 20 years, Loaves and Fishes has been providing hot meals to families and people in the Hannibal area. Meals are served weekly, Monday through Friday, from 5 to 6 p.m. at 413 Broadway. Weekend boxes are available and can be picked up on Friday afternoons from noon to 2 p.m.

More than 1,000 meals are served monthly to those who are hungry and are experiencing a difficult time. Harvest Outreach is also partnered with Feeding America and can offer groceries to anyone in need.

Billie Vavra, director of food programs at Harvest Outreach, states that anyone can come to Loaves and Fishes during the week and be served a plate. There is no criteria to meet to receive a meal. Sometimes meals may be hot, and other times cold cuts may be served. Different organizations throughout the community serve meals every night. There is a five-week rotation for the program.

Many of us who have a full refrigerator of food may not imagine how difficult it is for people who do not have that food security. Many in our community do not go home to a house filled with food.

In a press release, Billie Vavra, director of food programs at Harvest Outreach, said, “At Loaves and Fishes we do have the homeless. We have what we call a “couch hopper,” which is someone who technically doesn’t have their own home but doesn’t live in a tent or under a bridge. We have those who have limited income who could be either single or senior citizens. Some of those who come in, they come to have a meal with us so they can actually just eat with someone because they don’t want to sit at home alone for a meal. They could probably afford a meal, but they just don’t want to eat alone. They just want it for the conversation.”

Someone may come in for a meal at Loaves and Fishes for a variety of reasons. Some families may be stretching their food budget for the month. Others may be experiencing a temporary life situation they did not budget for.

“Sometimes it’s just because they’re going through something right now and someone told them to come,” Vavra said. “We’ve also had people who have been stranded in town who have been sent to us to have a meal. So, we’re very grateful that we’re able to help whoever it is from all walks of life. It doesn’t matter who you are. You’re welcome to even come down and have a meal just to share and sit with someone and talk with them because you never know when you’re going to make a difference in someone’s life.”

While many of us can eat in restaurants or grab a pizza, some people in our community do not have the means to do the same. Loaves and Fishes recently decorated the inside of the building used to serve meals. Vavra describes an encounter with a community member who has remarked about the impact of the new décor in the building.

“The walls were plain for so long,” Vavra said. “We couldn’t decide how we wanted it decorated. And finally, we got it decorated, and we put these little plaid black and white checkered curtains up and got the things on the wall. This woman actually wanted to reply that now she feels she can come in there, and it feels like a quaint little café. She gets to come in, and she walks up to the counter and she’s placing an order. She gets her food, and she gets to sit down. It’s like eating out at a restaurant every single night to her because it’s not some plain little hall. It’s a warm, inviting little environment that she likes there.”

Harvest Outreach Ministries gives out boxes every Friday through the Feed America box program. Anyone can take home a box of food. There are no income guidelines, no ID and no Social Security card needed.

However, there is a limit of food that Harvest Outreach receives, with only a certain number of boxes that can be distributed during the month. In a month with five weeks, the boxes have to be stretched further.

Between the meals served at Loaves and Fishes and the food boxes, Harvest Outreach is trying to ensure people have one meal each day of the week.

Vavra said, “We kind of nicknamed it the weekend box. Our goal is to try to make sure these families get one meal a day seven days a week. Some people don’t think that’s a lot, but some people think that’s everything. At least they get to eat once a day. We may not be open on the weekends, but we can send them with something.”

Harvest House Ministries has emergency boxes available to families based on need. The actual Harvest Houses also receive food from these programs.

Vavra said, “We do help the Harvest Houses. There are three homes. We help feed those homes, especially the ones that have gotten from incarceration or from the treatment centers that haven’t gotten placement from jobs yet.”

To learn more about Harvest Outreach Ministries or to volunteer with Loaves and Fishes, visit harvestoutreach.faith or check their Facebook page.

Food boxes are available to the community through Harvest Ministry