People Loving Nashville

A little over a year ago, Ryan Lampa started getting together with a few of his friends on Monday nights to make dinner for about ten homeless people.  Today, the core of friends has grown to about 30 people, and the number of homeless fed has grown anywhere from 80 to 150.   They don’t do it for recognition, they don’t do it because it makes them feel good, they do it because there are real people who need some love and need a good meal.

 

Last night I got the opportunity to help out with one of these feedings.  It was amazing.  We began the night in a large group to pray about the night and praise God for how he provides.  In the center of our oblong circle was a quirky cookie
jar, used to collect cash donations.  All the money they need to buy supplies and ingredients for dinner comes from the cookie jar, which they say is never empty. 

 

As we arrived at the feeding sight, I watched this group of friends come alive as they greeted their homeless community.  Their love for the homeless was so genuine and pure.  But the best part of the night were the people who came for the meal.  When you greeted one of the homeless to ask them how they were doing, their eyes lit up.  Somebody genuinely wants to know how they are doing.  It wasn’t uncommon for them to open up and tell you their whole story: how they got on the streets, the family they left behind, and their many struggles. 

 

People Loving Nashville is on it’s way to becoming a real non-profit organization, but the status doesn’t change anything.  The intentions of this group is purely to love.  The homeless aren’t any different from you or me.  They are still people, with disappointments, hurts and needs, and sometimes all they need is a friend who understands that and loves them anyway.
 
 
: : People Loving Nashville does not yet have a website, but you can find their group on Facebook : :