In the heart of Islamorada, nestled among multimillion dollar properties, sits a small Baptist church that is feeding an ever-growing community need.
“There’s no doubt that the Keys is a much harder place for people to live over these last three or four years,” said Steve Olsen, a pastor at First Baptist Church of Islamorada located at MM 81 on the oceanside.
“Some of these neighborhoods back here, most of the people who live here wouldn’t be aware of it, but many of these homes have three, four families living in them,” added Olsen, describing an almost impossible reality workers are up against when trying to find affordable housing in a ZIP code where prices have skyrocketed.
Olsen, along with his wife Nancy, run the community ministry at First Baptist Church of Islamorada along with a small army of 60 volunteers. Here, every Tuesday, Monroe County residents have access to a well-stocked food bank and a sit-down hot meal in the evening. But that’s not all; there is a clothes closet and mental health counseling services are available as well.
On a recent Tuesday visit to the community ministry, we met Rosario, the mother of a 3-year-old boy and an 8-year-old daughter. Rosario’s husband works in the Upper Keys, but like so many, her family is struggling to get by.
“It’s really important right now because all is more expensive,” said Rosario. On this day Rosario was visiting the food bank, but in the past she has also found many necessities in the clothes closet.
“I find so many things that people donate that really help my kids, like books or shoes or clothes,” she added.
Pastor Olsen says the guests at this community ministry are a diverse group. There are young working families like Rosario’s, but there are also a lot of retirees in need.
“We have a lot of retired folks who probably retired here 10 years ago when it was more affordable and they just can’t make ends meet,” Olsen said.
Volunteer Jack Wheatley runs the food pantry. He’s been donating his time to this community ministry since 2018. Over the years, he has seen the number of residents in need explode.
“Because of that need we’ve had to reduce some of our items we can give out. A number of years ago we would give 10 pounds out a week per family; now we’re limited to six pounds,” said Wheatley of the amount of food distributed to each family.
Before the pandemic, the ministry would serve roughly 60 families during a typical Tuesday. Today the number has more than doubled.
“A big Tuesday for us would be 140 families we would serve,” added Pastor Olsen.
Every Tuesday a counselor with Wellspring Counseling services from Miami is on site to help residents with anything from substance abuse, to depression to PTSD. For clients who cannot make a Tuesday appointment, tele-health visits are arranged.
“We’ve had a lot of success,” said Jessa Byrd, a volunteer who oversees the counseling program. “It’s a great opportunity for people to be able to talk to someone and people love the idea they’re from Miami and not here because everybody knows everybody here.”
Janice Wilson is in charge of organizing the hot meals served every Tuesday evening. The setting and experience are far from that of a soup kitchen. Here, guests are seated and volunteers take their dinner order.
“It is more like going to a restaurant and sitting down being waited on,” said Wilson.
The guests are welcomed and treated like family.
“We have one couple that comes just for the dinner; it’s like their date night. They love it,” she added.
Community Ministry volunteers say giving back to their neighbors who are in need of a helping hand is a truly rewarding experience.
“To be able to meet them with a smile and welcome them here and show them all the things that they can receive, it’s good, it makes you feel good to do that,” said volunteer Christi Dupre.
The Olsens stress that it literally takes a village to run this ministry.
“We find that most of our volunteers come through word of mouth and we have volunteers from eight different churches that all come together to serve together here,” said volunteer coordinator Nancy Olsen.
More information on the Community Ministry including assistance that is offered and ways to help and make donations is at www.thecommunityministry.org or 305-306-7842.
