Reaching out to the hurting world with love, compassion and hope!​

​About

The Soul Food Cafe Mission gives out food boxes, health & beauty aids, clothing, hair cuts and hot meals every Tuesday from 9am to 3pm at Soul Food Cafe Mission located at 1717 S. Donaghey Ave. Conway, AR 72034

You can keep up with the amazing work Jesus is doing at the mission on Facebook, just click here.
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We were honored to receive the Community Service Award from Senator Jason Rapert!

Soul Food Cafe Mission Statement

1. To provide a place where people in our community or those passing through can receive, without hassle or precondition, free hot meals, food boxes and/or clothing without prejudice or regard to race, creed or religion.​
2. To present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a creative way to those who will hear, but is not forced on anyone in order to receive any help from the Mission.
3. To provide an opportunity for churches and people of faith in Jesus Christ from our community to help in distributing, feeding, clothing or ministering to those coming to the Mission for assistance.
4. To maintain the Mission grounds as denominationally neutral, so that all people of faith in Jesus Christ can work together for the Kingdom of God.

Our History

​Sometime during October of 1994, Rick and Traci Harvey moved back into the Conway area, settling in Greenbrier. Rick had been in full-time Christian ministry, but the change in location included a change in vocation, and Rick began working in the insurance industry. The Harvey’s sought a church where they could minister and be ministered to. They soon became members of Christ Church which at that time was on Bronnie Lane.

Through a series of unexpected changes, Rick was eventually asked if he would step into the pastoral role at Christ Church, at least in a part-time capacity. He became the pastor and ministered in that role for about six months. Under his leadership, the six or so families that attended began the study, Experiencing God, written by Henry Blackaby. The group’s application of his seven realities would change their lives forever.
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1. God is always at work around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
5. God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

The families earnestly sought to “go where God is moving” as Blackaby taught. After prayerful consideration of what that meant to the group, and seeking the will of God, the members decided to disband as a traditional church and start an effort to reach out to those in need in the Conway area.

Their first opportunity was a Wednesday evening, 7 pm, free-meal ministry which began on July 11, 2001 in Brother T’s restaurant. Main Street Mission in Russellville donated food for the meals. The volunteers prepared the meals at the church on Bronnie Lane and took it to Brother T’s. Before everyone could go home, both locations had to be cleaned, and October, they decided to begin serving the meals at Christ Church.

In the meantime, the mission’s dinner guests had begun inquiring about the possibility of food they could take home. The Main Street Mission donated those as well, in increasing numbers each week, and when the evening meal moved to Christ Church, the food box ministry had been born.
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The way the mission got its name is an interesting story. The board members wrote down prospective names and put them in a hat. The name drawn was the “Soul Food Café Mission.” It was Traci’s idea. Rick wondered if the name indicated more “soul food” than “food for the body as well as food for the soul.” Rick suggested they put the names back in the hat and draw again, saying, “If this is the name God wants for us, this will be the name we draw again.”
And it was.

When a high rise retirement facility burned in Conway, Soul Food Café Mission was asked to be the recipient of the community’s donations. This was when the mission expanded into furniture, small appliances, and clothing. However, the Christ Church facility and everything in it was destroyed by fire in July of 2006. Yet, the mission was unfazed, and concentrated their efforts on “regrouping, rebuilding and keeping up their extremely good work,” as reported by the Log Cabin Democrat.

The Four Winds Church on Dave Ward Drive then offered the use of their gymnasium for the mission’s storage and food box operation. In July of 2011, the mission celebrated their 10 year anniversary in that facility. It is estimated that during those ten years, the mission fed over 140,000 people, a number representing some citizens who repeatedly visit the site, and are dependent weekly upon the sustenance offered.

In August of 2011, this facility was also destroyed by fire. Three local churches immediately reached out to assist with a new location and the mission has been operating at Second Baptist Church in downtown Conway ever since.

Several years ago, as a result of multiple generous donations, the mission was able to build a structure on South Donaghey Avenue in Conway. That location has served primarily as a place for storage but will be the eventual central location for continued food box distribution, offering meals, health & beauty items and clothes, A Bible study room, a washeteria, and a furniture and small appliance showroom.
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Funds for this operation are desperately needed to reach the goal of locating all of the mission’s operations to the facility. Please click here to learn more about supporting the effort and joining God’s work in the Soul Food Café Mission.

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​USDA Updated Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at:

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: [email protected]​

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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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​USDA Nueva Declaración de No Discriminación:

De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluyendo identidad de género y orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.

La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con el USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.

Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en: https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource-files/usdaprogram-discrimination-complaint-form-spanish.pdf, de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:

1. correo:
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
   
2.  fax:
   (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
   
3. correo electrónico:
   [email protected]

Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.