Good Shepherd Ministries shares good news

WILMINGTON -- Good Shepherd Ministries shared some good news Thursday morning. They can now feed more people a day, plus, they now have the tools to get more people off the streets and on their feet. These are not the usual people who come to Good Shepherd Ministries to get a warm meal, but this is a special day. Landfall's executive chef prepared the breakfast for community leaders using the Good Shepherd Ministries new kitchen equipment. The new equipment will allow the soup kitchen to feed 500 people a day. During the breakfast was another big announcement. Good Shepherd Ministries started a new scholarship program. The first recipient was Harlie Stevens, who found himself on the streets after a tragedy. "I lost my mother in 2001 and I slowly but surely fell down the elevator till I hit rock bottom," Stevens said. Stevens used the "Red Tide Fund" to help him get back on his feet and start a landscaping business. "It's amazing," Stevens said. "A joyful feeling -- 13 months from being homeless to 13 months having my own business." He is the first to get a hand up, not a hand out. But with this new scholarship program he won't be the last. The Landfall Foundation and Cooperative Bank donated the $25,000 for the new kitchen equipment. As for the "Rising Tide Fund" the scholarship will be given to a couple of applicants a year.