“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild nations, to bring peace…to make music in the heart.” - Howard Thurman
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Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you a peaceful 2010. This year is the 25th Anniversary of Our Daily Bread. Twenty Five years ago, Ruth “Cookie” Vogelpohl with family and friends, responded to a need for a food and hospitality ministry for the homeless and poor of Over-the-Rhine and surrounding neighborhoods in Cincinnati. We will commemorate "the house that Cookie built" all year long with a variety of activities and events. Check our website often and stayed tuned here for upcoming events.
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Please keep in your prayers Mary Beth Peters, S.C., Executive Director of Our Daily Bread, and her family. Her mother, Jane Peters, passed away this week.
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A guest story: Marcia (not her real name) lived what many of us would call a normal life. Financially comfortable, married 28 years, residence on the west side of Cincinnati, her husband a career military man, Marcia a stay at home mom. Then everything changed. A divorce from her husband. Both her parents passed away after long illnesses and a sister died in a terrible accident. Marcia was left to pay funeral expenses. A daughter had serious medical issues. More expenses. All these events drained Marcia’s finances and she lost her house…she was now homeless. Living at the Drop Inn Center, she prayed daily to God for help but was at a breaking point. She prayed, “Come on God. I’m right here. Please.” She came to Our Daily Bread for help. Trying to get back on her feet, she found an apartment but needed a $50.00 deposit. No one seemed able to help her until she met with Joyce Cue, the social worker at Our Daily Bread. Joyce worked with Marcia; got her in touch with the right people, secured a $50.00 voucher for her and now she has housing for the first time in almost 2 months. Marcia says of Our Daily Bread, “The atmosphere here is so much better than anywhere else I had been. I felt safe here. I could always count on someone to smile at me and speak with me. I have learned a lot since becoming homeless. I learned patience and endurance. I learned how to be tough and compassionate at the same time.” Marcia continues to work on job skills so she can re-enter the workforce. On the day she received the keys to her new apartment, Marcia came back to Our Daily Bread. She walked into the office, a big smile on her face, holding the keys to her new apartment out on her hand, and gave us a big hug.
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Something to think about: “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life; that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping themselves.” - William Shakespeare

God’s peace,
Paul



Our Daily Bread Menu for the Week:

Monday: JTM beef patties, enchilada sauce, coleslaw, tossed salad, dessert
Tuesday: Chicken and dumplings, rice, yogurt, coleslaw, tossed salad, dessert
Wednesday: Ham, mac and cheese, coleslaw, tossed salad, dessert
Thursday: Chuck wagon stew, coleslaw, tossed salad, dessert
Friday: Chili, coleslaw, tossed salad, dessert

Our Daily Bread is a food and hospitality ministry in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati. We serve over five hundred meals every day, Monday through Friday. We provide warm meals in a comfortable place for all who come, a place where all are invited to be a part of a community that is caring, supportive and welcoming.


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