As the cold weather rolls in for the winter, the city of Vancouver, Washington, sets up tiny house villages and safe parking areas around the city for those without a house or living in their cars.

Pastors Kevin and Jeni Campbell-White of Hillcrest Church of the Nazarene drove by one of these newly assembled villages in downtown Vancouver and commented to one another about how cool it would be to help with this effort in some way. They had no idea what God had in store.

The following week, the Hillcrest Church received a seemingly random call from a local Chipotle that would be opening soon. The staff were looking for a partner to distribute food that would be cooked during their week of training before the grand opening. The people of Hillcrest Church immediately jumped into action, contacting shelters and ministries all over the city and signing up to be the hands and feet of Jesus by delivering food to those in need.

Church members contacted the city officials in charge of the different tiny home areas to find out where help is needed most, even reaching out to a similar shelter across the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon.

A few weeks later, the first team from Hillcrest showed up for duty at the new Chipotle Mexican Grill, which opened a mile from the church. For five days, volunteers reported for duty at 2 p.m. or 8 p.m., divided up the food, and spread out across the city, giving freshly prepared food to hundreds of people.  

Whether living in temporary shelters, rehab facilities, or tents on the side of the road, many people were generously blessed with fresh, hot meals this holiday season.

“In total, over 1,700 pounds of food was distributed to people wide-eyed as the tangible generosity of our great God was displayed before them,” Kevin said.

As the volunteers got to know the managers at Chipotle, they shared stories of the impact they were making, and employees began to get excited about being a part of blessing their city. In addition to caring for the houseless population, Hillcrest Church also connected with two local elementary schools and blessed their entire staff with lunch on one of the days.

As the five days came to a close, talks began of an ongoing partnership to continue the distribution of food that would otherwise be thrown away.  

“We are excited to see how God uses these newly formed partnerships to work through us to share his love with our city in tangible ways,” Kevin said.