STARTEL

A place at the table
Group offers the homeless food plus fellowship
By ANNA M. TINSLEY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

FORT WORTH -- John Kolstad
heard the music Saturday
and followed it.

It led him to Unity Park,
a small area tucked away off
East Lancaster, where he
found fellowship, well-wishers
and food.

"Whenever I hear music, I walk to it,"
said Kolstad, 47, who is living at
the Presbyterian Night Shelter.
"I love community events."

He was one of more than 100
homeless people who showed
up for a Christmas celebration
and community meal, which included
prayer, communion, singing, face painting and opportunities to send holiday cards to their
families.

And fellowship.

"We really want to enlighten folks through this," said Neale Mansfield, executive director of
Feed by Grace, the main organizer of the event. "If we are going to help the homeless
population, the best way is to start with relationships, befriend them and follow up.

"Know them as individuals."

Jana Webb, 37, sat in a wheelchair and embroidered as she listened to the music and
prayers.

"This is really neat," said Webb, who has stayed at the Presbyterian Night Shelter on and off
for about 13 years. "It's not like the other churches who feed you and they're gone."

"These people are looking at us as people and getting to know us," she said. "I've even
talked to a couple of women about an affordable place I could move into."

The goal, some said, is not just to feed or clothe the homeless but to help them find their
way out of the shelters.

"Lord, I believe you will take people out of here," Lano Patino, pastor with Freedom in
Worship, said in a prayer. "That this area will no longer be a place where homeless people
live, but a place people pass through on their way out."

Michael Pruett sat at a table slightly away from the music, taking in the sight of people
milling around and talking.

The 47-year-old, who has lived at shelters and on the streets, said he wants to have his own
home. But he knows that first he has to start saving money and stop spending it on drugs.

And celebrations such as Saturday's are important.

"Any time you have life around, it's good to see," Pruett said. "At least it's not dead silent
around here."
______________
Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610 atinsley@star-telegram.com

IN THE KNOW
Feed by Grace

Question: What is Feed by
Grace Ministries?
Answer: A nonprofit ministry
that is growing vegetable
gardens to provide food for the
needy.

Q: How does Feed by Grace
reach out to the homeless?
A: Every Saturday, volunteers
with the group meet at Unity
Park to lead Bible studies, play
basketball, and provide music,
arts and crafts and refreshments.

Q: What is the goal of Feed by
Grace?
A: Empower homeless people
who want to change their lives,
helping with jobs, training or life
skills.

Q: What is Unity Park?
A: A grassy, tree-filled area a
block from Union Gospel Mission
and the Presbyterian Night
Shelter that offers a "spiritual
haven" and recreational center
area for the city's homeless
population.

Q: Where is Unity Park?
A: 1401 E. Presidio St.

ONLINE: www.feedbygrace.org