Our Daily Bread Ministry

Loving Our Neighbors

Our Daily Bread Ministry began as one woman packing sack lunches and driving around Douglas County to find people in need of them. Through the efforts of Leila Myers, it has now grown into a ministry that gives out 1 to 2 tons of food every month to those who have no shelter or are under housed in the Douglasville area. The ministry also provides tents, tarps, and other provisions to those in need. In addition, The Daily Bread Ministry manages a supervised camp, called Shinnah, which means New Beginnings in Hebrew. The camp can currently house 22 people in tents.

The Daily Bread Ministry goes out on Mondays and Tuesdays loaded with food and supplies for the marginalized in Douglas County and relies on volunteers from Good Shepherd, as well as other area churches.

If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, please contact Leila Myers at mleila01@gmail.com. If you would like to donate to this vital ministry, please use the Donate Now button below to link to our online giving site and pick the Daily Bread Ministry in the drop down menu. Your donations will go to the Daily Bread Ministry and help those in need in Douglas County.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40

You may have noticed that the numbers on the monthly report for our Daily Bread Ministry of Hope have changed over the last few months. The amount of food we’ve been able to give out each month has been greatly reduced. Due to the cuts made by the current administration, the Atlanta Area Food Bank, which was our main source of the food we distributed, has had a drastic reduction in the food they have available for their partner agencies to purchase. We are currently still supplying what we can to people living in the camps in the woods and in low income housing, such as the extended stay hotels. We have however, changed the focus of our Ministry to serving the residents and future residents of Camp Shinnah.

Camp Shinnah currently can house 23 residents and there is often a waiting list for a place at the camp. In order to stay the camp, residents must follow strict rules and undergo drug and alcohol testing. People have come to the camp following time in jail and even while recovering from surgeries. They simply have no other place to go. While at the camp, residents receive help with obtaining any needed identity documents, without which they can’t apply for jobs. We also help our residents with disabilities obtain benefits. The camp provides a stable place for someone to get back on their feet.

With the help of a grant from Douglas County, we’ve been able to improve the camp with more permanent platforms for the tents and a dining area. We are currently collaborating with a Scout from Troop 228 whose Eagle project is putting up a washing station at the camp. This will allow residents to more easily shower and wash their clothes, which will make integrating back into jobs and society easier.

Camp Shinnah provides a safe, legal place to live for people that have nowhere else to go. It allows people to get back on their feet and have a stable place to live while they figure out their next steps in life. It is not a permanent solution. Residents are encouraged to find and keep jobs and save to be able to move to a more permanent residence. Camp Shinnah is changing and saving lives! So while the focus of Daily Bread Ministry of Hope may have slightly changed due to changing times, we are still committed to doing God’s work and proving hope for the least of these. 

Did you know?

  • The Daily Bread Ministry was started in April, 2003 in memory of Mattie O'Neal.  Mattie O’Neal was a person in need who inspired to Leila to begin this ministry.

  • Pastor Mike Bovingdon named the ministry, Daily Bread.

  • The Daily Bread Ministry serves those in need in our community. Some of those in need are homeless and others are in homes, extended stay hotels, or boarding houses. The majority have no transportation.

  • The Daily Bread Ministry also manages a supervised camp, called Shinnah, which means New Beginnings in Hebrew. The camp can currently house 22 people in tents.

  • There are multiple rules and responsibilities for the residents of Camp Shinnah.

  • Drugs and alcohol are not permitted at Camp Shinnah and testing is done to ensure this is followed.

  • The Ministry handed out 4708 pounds of food in July.  Weekly the ministry serves about 150 people, of those, 20 are residents of Shinnah and 40 of other camps in Douglasville.

Latest News

August 2022:

We had a workday at our Shinnah Community this month and cut down trees and created another tent site and a storage area. We also replaced rotten pallets and a ripped tent. We now have 22 sites. And 20 residents.

This month we were able to help get birth certificates for 3 individuals... One from Mississippi, Georgia and one from Germany... resident’s father was in the Army.

We were also able to assist one individual get his Georgia driver’s license and 3 to get their GA Identification.

Thank you, Bonnie Garret for supplying all the material to create the beautiful cards for all those we serve… what a blessing that was and also thank you for the delicious lunch you provided. You made a difference.

Big Praise one of our residents moved from Shinnah into housing.

Thank you to all those who responded to our call for towels for our residents at Camp Shinnah. You made a difference.

September 2022:

  • As of August 27th, we currently have 20 residents at Shinnah, and capacity for 2 more.

  • This month, two residents received their license and one received their ID. These documents are an important way we help the residents be able to get jobs.

  • Two new residents received their food stamp cards. Food stamps are required by the camp rules to ensure residents have food until they are stable.

  • Two residents were assessed by the Community Service Board (CSB). This is a requirement of camp residents. The CSB provides counseling and addiction services, and helps with job placement and housing.

  • Another resident got a job and one moved away from the camp and into housing.

  • We also served approximately 36 individuals each week of this this month who live in the woods but not at Shinnah.

  • The Daily Bread Ministry is in need of blankets as it is getting colder. Blankets do not have to be new, just clean. As always your donations are greatly appreciated and go directly toward helping people in our community.

October 2022

  • A big Shout out to all that worked so hard on Sunday, September 11, God’s Work, Our Hands... that was such fun and your help was so appreciated.

  • As of today, we have 20 residents at Shinnah and deliver to 40 individuals who live in other camps. We also delivered 84 bags of food to people who live in housing but have no transportation.

    This month we were able to help two people move from the camp into housing in Douglasville. We provided bus tickets for three individuals. Of these, two were reunited with family in California, and after transferring his parole from Douglasville to Virginia, one was reunited with his Mom, wife and child. His mom was so thrilled when I asked her if Pete could come home, she said oh yes, we have not seen him in 4-1/2 years.

  • We do not tolerate drugs and or alcohol at the camp. I drug test and use breathalyzer as needed. I evicted two for being drunk on property and one was evicted for having beer in his tent. One individual I am giving a second chance...Everyone deserves a second chance...all can make a change.

  • Helped two to get their Social Security Cards, one a birth certificate, and one his Georgia Identification card.

  • We received a 7000 pound shipment from the Atlanta, Community Food Bank. Thank you so much Don Larsen, Sam and Susan Duke, Butch Myers, Jamal Anderson, and Mike Anderson for helping to stock our shelves.

  • Please remember we need your plastic grocery bags for packing lunches.

Leila

November 2022

We now have 22 sites. And 16 residents at Shinnah. This month, one of our residents moved from Shinnah into housing and one was reunited with family in Florida.

Eight of our residents currently have jobs and three receive disability checks. Two have applied for disability… Others have appointments with Community Service board for assistance in seeking employment and/or needed therapy.

We were blessed to be able to donate $750.00 to help install a shower and washer and dryer at Dry Bones Non-profit. Dry Bones restores donated cars and now their employees will be able to shower and wash and dry their clothes. They hire our men at Shinnah, and prayerfully all our residents will be able to also shower during the winter months.

We have been given a new area to relocate Shinnah… We are still waiting to hear if the county will provide water and a pull through. As of today, the projected time to begin clearing the land for the coroner’s office is February 2023. We need 55 pallets (red and blue ones). Please let me know if you have a truck and are willing to pick them up at Good Samaritan. One of our first tasks at the new site, will be to clear an area to make an entrance and to clear a site to put our three bathrooms. Please let me know if you would like to help.

Thank you for your continued support and donations …. Our needs for the winter are blankets, Hot Hands and body Wipes.

Leila