The Christian Service Center is a private, non-profit service agency which, since 1971, has provided the hurting of our community with programs designed to meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  The Center is supported by area churches, businesses, civic organizations, foundations, and individuals.  Millions have been served regardless of race, religion, financial status, or the nature of their need.

Daily Bread Celebrates 3,000,000^th Free Meal

 On May 2nd, the Christian Service Center’s Daily Bread Program celebrated the serving of its three millionth free meal!  The Daily Bread program serves free noontime meals from soup kitchens and dining facilities in downtown Orlando and Ocoee.

 “I am thrilled that we have reached this milestone,” said Christian Service Center Executive Director Robert F. Stuart. “What started as an outreach of a handful of downtown churches has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of people in need her in Central Florida,” Stuart continued.

 The program started in the kitchen of St. James Cathedral in 1975, when the church started a noon feeding program during the Easter season.  As the Easter season ended, the church was feeding more than 125 persons per day, and Father David Page realized that some more permanent solution was needed to address community hunger. He contacted the Christian Service Center, which St. James had helped found in 1971.  Out of that need, Daily Bread was born on July 1, 1971.  Meals were served at a facility at 61 W. Jefferson Street.  Champ Williams, founder of Skyline Restaurants agreed to provide the food, a service he provided for more than 1,000,000 meals.

 In 1981, Daily Bread was relocated to Parramore Ave., and in 1987, to its current location on the Christian Service Center campus at 808 W. Central Blvd.  The two-millionth meal was served in April 1999, and the three-millionth meal will be celebrated on May 2^nd at the Christian Service Center’s annual Street Celebration, an outdoor cookout and party for the Daily Bread clients.

 “It is amazing to me that we have never missed a meal because of lack of food,” said Stuart.  “Whenever we have been in need of food, God has provided through thousands of supporters and volunteers, and through business and local foundations.  Without that support, the Daily Bread program could not have succeeded,” Stuart noted.

 In 1991, the Christian Service Center opened a West Orange Daily Bread kitchen in Ocoee, an operation that continues today.  In 2003, local Kissimmee churches took over the Daily Bread operation that had operated in that City since 1988.

 Last year, our soup kitchens in Orlando and Ocoee teamed to serve almost 125,000 free meals.

 While we celebrate the serving of the three millionth meal, the daily focus remains helping those who are hungry in our community, one meal at a time.

 “Unfortunately, there are still people who are hungry and in need in our community,” Stuart pointed out.  “This program not only gives our clients a meal, but reminds them that someone cares.”

Christian Service Center Creates Daily Bread Legacy Fund

It took 33 years for the Christian Service Center’s Daily Bread Program to reach the 3,000,000 meal milestone.  Now the Christian Service Center has set up a Daily Bread Legacy Fund to assure the program’s continuation into the future.

“Serving almost 125,000 meals a year places a severe strain on our facilities,” said Executive Director Robert Stuart.  “That’s why we are asking our community to help us create a legacy fund to provide much needed upgrades to our existing facilities and a financial base for handling future needs,” Stuart noted.

As an example, the Christian Service Center needs to replace the tables and chairs in Orlando’s Daily Bread dining room.  Each new table is about $155, and heavy-duty folding chairs are about $21each.  So the cost of replacing 13 tables and 104 chairs is about $4,200.

“These are just examples of why we are starting the legacy fund,” Stuart pointed out.  “We guarantee that any donation of any amount will be put to good use to assure that Daily Bread continues toward a four millionth meal,” Stuart said.

Donations can be mailed to the Christian Service Center’s offices at 808 W. Central Blvd., Orlando, Florida 32805.  Please make it clear that the donation is intended for the Daily Bread Legacy Fund.