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Word of Life International. Rev. John Udo-Okon Executive Director 813 Westchester Ave. Bronx, New York10459 Tel:718-861-5678 Fax:718-861-7637
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Word of Life International Rev. John Udo-Okon Executive Director 813 Westchester Ave. Bronx, New York10459Tel:718-861-5678 Fax:718-861-7637 Cell: 347-275-6744 Email:pastorjohn1299@yahoo.com www.wordoflifefornewyorkcity.org
We Believe…. “It is not easy for men to rise whose qualities are thwarted by poverty.” Juvenal (55 AD - 127 AD), Satires
Organizational Highlights • WOL is located in the South Bronx of New York City. • Doors opened in 2003 in order to feed the poor and homeless in the community that surrounded the Word of Life Christian Fellowship International Church. • Provides emergency food assistance, education, information and referrals to help combat hunger and help our neighbors access services that empower them towards self-sufficiency. • Grown well beyond our initial focus of feeding the poor into a multi-service agency that is an important anchor in the community. • We serve the poorest and most at risk of Bronx residents where families living below poverty level is over 42% and individuals below poverty level is nearly 45%. • Provides a safety net for those individuals/families that are poor, homeless, sick or elderly and have little or no food to eat.
The Vision To ELIMINATE HUNGER in the South Bronx • become an independent nonprofit agency. Done. • grow and sustain an one stop multi service center that can simultaneously solve the short term emergency needs of its clients as well as the long term problems that prevent them from living a full and independent life. In process. • serve as a respected voice for the poor in the community. On going.
Our Clients and Neighbors • Working poor, often immigrants who are unable to feed themselves or their families based on the small salaries they earned. • Disabled or newly released prisoners who are unable to find work. • Current and former substance abusers, senior citizens and children. Profile of Food Program participants: • 15% elderly • 30% men, 55% women • 25% individual households, 75% families • 5% White, 65% Hispanic, 20% African American, 10% Caribbean and African descent • 40% of all participants are at risk of hunger or homelessness • 65% are suffering from poor health, substance abuse or physical impairment
WOL Services • Food pantry and an emergency food and clothing bank • Onsite Food Stamp Screening • HIV/AIDS education/referrals and substance abuse education/referrals in partnership with World Mission Foundation • Referrals for Women Infant and Children (WIC), health insurance enrollment, immigration and legal services • Youth Enrichment Program- educational and recreational activities for pre-teen and teens
The Founders Story They came from one of the third world countries in the world to serve the poor in one of the richest cities in the world. In 1997, Pastor John Udo-Okon immigrated to the United States from Nigeria to join his wife, Pastor Felicia Udo-Okon. Full of hope and the promise of a new life together, the couple settled into a small one bedroom apartment in the Bronx, New York. Pastor Udo-Okon had the initial plan to spend one or two years in the United States and then move back to Nigeria to continue his pastoral work. Twelve years and 4 children later, they are still working to care for the poor and homeless in the Bronx. At the urging of their congregation, Pastors John and Felicia rented a small store front at East 214th Street and Holland Avenue, Bronx to house their growing church.
It is important to know that both Pastors John and Felicia’s dedication to serving the poor started long before they came to the U.S. When Felicia was in grammar school in Nigeria, she would secretly give away her families food and clothes to the poor people in her village. Pastor John started his service to the disadvantaged early in his life as well – carrying out missionary work in Northern Nigeria. He set up churches and worked with missionaries from the Sudan United Mission-Christian Reformed Church on a national project to develop Christian arts for stage, television and film productions for the Nigerian audience.
In 1999, Pastors John and Felicia decided to form a small church in the living room of their tiny Bronx one bedroom apartment. They named the church Word of Life Christian Fellowship International, choosing to make it the North American Headquarters of their home church in Nigeria. Word of Life’s congregation quickly grew with membership spilling out into the hallway on most Sundays. As the couple settled in to their new church space, they found it difficult to avoid addressing the pressing needs of the community around them. Unknown to them, their tiny store front church was in the middle of a poor drug infested neighborhood.
The Pastors were confronted with drug dealers hanging on their church door, street corners with sporadic gun fires. Week after Pastor John had to calm his congregation by assuring them that there will be a change in the neighborhood as they pray and work for the change in people’s lives and the community. So Pastors John and Felicia began reaching out to them especially the young people who were used to peddle the drugs and guns. The drug violence was so bad between December of 1999 and February 2000. Three young men were killed and several wounded. Rather than being discouraged, Pastors John and Felicia and their congregation continued with their outreach of going out both during the day and night to talk and counsel with the young people on the street corners.
Help came with an increase of operation by the New York Police Department in the neighborhood and by the middle of 2000 there was an indescribable peace and quietness. The neighborhood was freed from fear and drug violence. It was an interesting experience to Pastors John and Felicia and their congregation. The Pastors and their church had now found its purpose which is to serve God and the community. And to do these, according to Pastor John you have to love and have an unquenchable passion for both. Pastors John and Felicia were to be tested once again when their church relocated to the South Bronx which is the poorest neighborhood in New York City and daily the desperately poor and hungry would pound on their door for any help they could provide.
Drawing on their experiences, John and Felicia gave away their own food and clothing and asked for donations from church members to help their neighbors. However, it quickly became quickly clear that their personal resources and that of their church members would do little to satisfy the great need that existed. It was in 2003 that Pastors John and Felicia experienced the defining moment in their ministry here in the U.S. As they were leaving the church in their van one evening, they noticed a very well dressed man digging through a garbage can on the street corner. Pastor John stopped the van and asked one of his members to get out and find out what the man was looking for in the garbage.
When he asked, the well-dressed man indicated that he was looking for food – he was hungry. They gave him $5 and vowed to start a formalized program to serve the hungry in their neighborhood that day. The following day they called upon grocery stores, church members and registered with hunger relief organizations to gather as much food as they could. Initially they were feeding about 800 people per month - now they feed as many as 600 people each Saturday. Pastors John and Felicia deeply believe in their mission of helping the homeless, poor and hungry. They have invested not only their time and talents but also their own personal funds, savings, and even their children’s college fund to further this effort.
Just like their days in Nigeria, they never turn away anyone who is in need of food or clothing. They have also inspired many others to dedicate their time and talent. Most people who encounter the couple find it difficult to walk away from their pleas on behalf of those less fortunate without providing some assistance. This is evidence by the 24 permanent dedicated volunteers and the donations of food and clothing from around the City. Today the face of hunger in the Bronx has changed quite a bit since 2003 when Pastors John and Felicia officially opened the doors of the Word of Life Food Pantry. Unfortunately, those who somehow slip through the safety net created by private and government programs are still there now joined by a growing number of working poor. Those who cannot afford to their pay rent and buy food.
Operations • 5000 Square ft. Facility located at 914 Prospect Ave between Westchester and East 162nd Street. • Food Pantry is open every Wednesday 3PM - 6:00PM; and Saturday 10:00AM-2:00 PM. • Food Pantry serves over 2,000 individuals and families per week. • Clothes/Books are distributed free: men, women and children based on need during hours of operation. • Program Services are supported yearly by 24 permanent volunteers and over 350 others from the tri-state area that come to help either on weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Students from Universities, Colleges and Public Schools in the New York City are part of our volunteers. They assist with the management and operation of the pantry and outreach services.
Key Facts WOL is the….. • largest recipient of food from City Harvest For New York City. • a multi service agency serving Community District Boards 1-3 of the South Bronx. • number 1 provider of food to hungry individuals and families in the South Bronx, serving an average of 8,000 household members per month. • only place in the South Bronx where residents can receive emergency food during the center’s daily hours of operation seven days per week, 8:00 AM – 7:00PM. Residents throughout the 5 Boroughs of NYC take advantage of the pantry.
Keys to Success WOL has enjoyed tremendous success over the last 5 years… • Only program within the five Boroughs that provides multiple services with easy access for persons in the immediate community and throughout the five Boroughs. • The WOL is just a few steps from the subway. 25% of the people served each month live outside of the immediate community. • Has the physical space to operate a multi-service program simultaneously • Large facility that can easily store over thirty thousand pounds of non-perishable food.
Keys to Success.. Our Partnerships • 24 dedicated permanent community volunteers and over 350 supporting volunteers from the tri-state area • The World Mission Foundation • United Way of New York City • DKB Consulting • Palms For Life • New York City Coalition Against Hunger(NYCCAH) • Community Resource Exchange (CRE) • Word of Life Christian Fellowship International • City Harvest • The Food Bank for New York City • Feed the Children • State Assemblyman, Michael Benjamin • State Assemblyman, Ruben Diaz, Jr.
Demand is Growing WOL needs to keep pace with the rapid growth of our client’s needs…. • $75,000 to renovate and upgrade kitchen • $305,000 to bring on full time staff • $12,500 monthly to cover operating expenses, i.e. electricity, rent • $400,000 to fund new programs, i.e. community soup kitchen, youth Program, after school and vacation programs, daily soup kitchen, senior services
Here’s how You Can Help • Support our fundraising drive by donating Cash - we need to raise $350,000 immediately to cover on going expenses, hire staff and renovate our new location • Volunteer your time, we need volunteers to help with • Renovation of our facility • Unload food trucks • Pack food • Distribute food • Office and administrative duties • Donate gently used clothing and toletries
Word of Life Thousands of people spend hours in line to receive a bag of food.
Word of Life No matter what the weather conditions.
Hunger is everyday reality for New Yorkers. WOL’s mission is eliminate hunger.
Our Cloth Bank helping people with blankets to fight the cold.
Assemblyman Michael Benjamin and the wife at one of our health outreach event.
Assemblyman Reuben Diaz, Jr. at our Community Outreach event
Volunteers at WOL Every week volunteers from the tri-state join us to serve the community. We can only do what is done with the support of our team of volunteers.
