SoupMan

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings Serves Homeless

2011-12-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

The SoupMobile's 7th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas Extravaganza is now over and in the books. We took 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They all received new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love, and we held a huge banquet for them and in their honor. Most important is that when they awoke on Christmas morning it was in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt, NOT in a cardboard box under some bridge.

More than 2,000 volunteers from the community came to the Hyatt and helped us with the event. The world famous Vocal Majority Chorus came (pro-bono) and performed for our homeless guests at the mega-banquet. The Hyatt Regency put on extra staff to make sure our homeless guests got the very best of service. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings came to the banquet in his tuxedo, rolled up his sleeves, and served the top of the line food to our homeless guests.

Here are some of the comments from the event:

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said: "They (the homeless) have given me the best Christmas I could ever have had."

Volunteer Cheron A. said: "OMG, OMG, I cried!!! This will be an event that I will never forget as long as I live."

Volunteer Shana T. said: "It was the most memorable event ever."

Homeless man Richard said: "Thank you SoupMan for caring about me."

Homeless child Morgana said when she got a giant Teddy Bear as a gift: "Thank you Santa."

The SoupMan said: "Our homeless guests didn't just receive great gifts and a wonderful stay at the Hyatt - they also received a huge infusion of love, caring, and compassion."

Yes, our 7th Annual event is over and we've already started planning for the 8th Annual event for December 24--25th, 2012. You won't want to miss it. Meanwhile remember that homeless issues are year-round. Please remember to support your favorite homeless charity throughout the year with both your volunteer time and your financial support.

2,000 years ago Jesus said "Feed MY Sheep.' It was NOT a suggestion. It was a call to action. Please give prayerful consideration to joining with the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam as 'together' we go about our Father's business. More details about partnering with the SoupMobile can be found at www.soupmobile.org.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

p.s. Remember, you still have time to make a Tax Deductible Donation to the SoupMobile by Dec. 31st. Won't you please give this prayerful consideration. http://soupmobile.org/donatenow.php

Cowardly Men Abuse Homeless Woman

2011-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I bring you the following story. It's a story about a homeless woman who goes by the street name 'Susie.' She was recently abused and degraded in a horrific incident at a local Dallas barbershop. Cowardly men shaved her head and eyebrows and tormented her.

The incident was captured on video and has gone viral on the Internet. This homeless woman was made sport of by the men in the barber shop. They treated her with the utmost disrespect and were cruel in both their actions and comments that were heard on the video.

The SoupMobile has had search teams looking for Susie for the past several days. We also have an 'investigator' who has extensive experience finding homeless people out searching for Susie. Our goal is to find her and bring her in from the cold.

Susie's story may be the tip of the iceberg. Over the past several years, stories and videos of gangs of thugs assaulting homeless people have become only too common. It's a hard, dirty, and difficult life if you are homeless. It's even worse if you have to fear for your safety every day. If you are a homeless man, life is extremely difficult, but if you are a homeless woman, life is almost impossible.

I shouldn't have to say this, but it's NOT okay to abuse homeless people either verbally or physically. They are not sub-human and they are not deserving of abuse. The vast majority of the homeless are good decent people. Yes, they are down on their luck, but decent people. These are real live human beings with feelings, hopes, dreams, and a desire to get out of homelessness.

The men in the barbershop that abused Susie are NOT men. They are cowards. Real men do not abuse women---homeless or otherwise. Real men do not make sport of abusing women. Real men do not degrade any homeless person. Yes, the men in the video are cowards.

So what can we do about this problem? Frankly there are no easy answers. As horrific as the Susie story is, we were lucky it was captured on video. We have a chance to find Susie and help her. We may also be able to bring the perpetrators to justice. Unfortunately, there is much abuse of the homeless that goes unreported. You can help by reporting any suspected abuse of the homeless to the authorities.

There is another way you can help. Christmas is just around the corner. Let this Christmas season be a time that you reach out in love and kindness to a homeless person. Maybe you volunteer at a charity that works with homeless people. Maybe you make a donation to a homeless cause. Maybe you pray for the homeless. Whatever you do, please know that homeless people need our help. I pray for a day when Susie stories will be a thing of the past. Let's all do our part to help make that prayer become a reality.

p.s. This video from Channel 11 is about the Susie story. Fair warning that some of the incidents in the video may make it difficult to watch.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

WINTER WONDERLAND!!!

2011-12-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

In 1934, songwriter Felix Bernard wrote one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. It was titled ‘Winter Wonderland’ and in the decades since, more than 150 different artists have recorded the song. It’s a song of fun, laughter, joy, and a celebration of winter.

And for some of us winter is indeed a time of merriment and good cheer. And why shouldn't it be? We live in nice homes or apartments, drive decent cars, have family and friends, and even if it gets a little cold outside we have the luxury of heat in our homes, cars, and offices. Ah yes, for most of us it’s truly a Winter Wonderland. But there's the rub----'For most of us'.

It seems a few people have fallen through the cracks. Actually, more than a few! In the Dallas area there are more than 10,000 homeless people. The lucky ones get to stay in shelters. However, there are thousands that are not so lucky. They spend their days on the streets and their nights sleeping in cardboard boxes, behind dumpsters, in abandoned buildings, and in the woods. For them it’s not a Winter Wonderland. It’s really more of a Winter Nightmare.

Oh you might be thinking that's too strong a statement---Winter Nightmare! But let’s look at it from the perspective of a homeless person. It’s the first week of December in Dallas and temperatures are hovering close to freezing. Making matters worse is that it’s been raining. Cold weather plus freezing rain is not just a little uncomfortable for a homeless person---it’s life threatening. Just imagine that tonight you go outside and stand in your backyard and get soaked in the freezing rain. Then imagine crawling in a cardboard box and trying to get dry and warm. Then imagine waking up in the freezing dawn with stiff limbs and damp clothes and no prospects for it getting any better. Then imagine doing it all winter.

Winter Wonderland for the homeless? I don't think so. Christmas is fast approaching. And while our nation has gone thru some tough economic times the last couple of years, most of us are doing okay. Maybe not great for everyone, but for most we are doing okay. What are your plans for Christmas? Are you giving or receiving? If you are going to be experiencing a fun Winter Wonderland, might you consider helping others?

In a Christmas event called CELEBRATE JESUS, the SoupMobile is taking 500 homeless right off the streets this Christmas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel. They will all get new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love, and we will throw a huge banquet for them and in their honor. Most important is that when the wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---NOT in a cardboard box under a bridge. Would you like a piece of this action??? Maybe you would like to volunteer with us at the Hyatt? Maybe you can't volunteer but would like to donate for the event? Can you do something to help? Most people can. It doesn't have to be a Million Dollars---but it could be. Maybe its $5. Only you know best how much of your Winter Wonderland you can share.

By the way, we practice what we preach. My wife Shana, a.k.a. The SoupGirl, and I make a pact every Christmas. We do NOT buy each other gifts. We take the money we would have spent and donate for the homeless at Christmas. We don't have a million to share but it’s more than $5. We are sharing of our Winter Wonderland. Won't you give prayerful consideration to doing the same? For more details on how you can volunteer or help financially, go to www.soupmobile.org and click on CELEBRATE JESUS.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Bah Humbug!!!

2011-10-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

In 1843 Charles Dickens wrote a novel titled: A Christmas Carol. It features Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold hearted, tight fisted and greedy man who despises Christmas. Scrooges's catchphrase was 'Bah Humbug', which he used to express his disgust for Christmas.

Fast forward 168 years to 2011 and it's almost time for Christmas. However it seems that for many this holiday has turned into something even worse than 'Bah Humbug.' It's become so commercialized that many stores will be putting on Christmas sales in November. For many the holiday is all about what they are getting. Even worse Christmas has fallen into the politically correct category. Merry Christmas has become 'Happy Holidays' for fear we will offend someone.

To all of this modern day stuff the SoupMan says 'Bah Humbug.'

Bah Humbug to the commercialization of Christmas and Bah Humbug to 'Happy Holidays.'

For me Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus 2,000 years ago. More than that its about honoring his wishes. In the Bible Jesus talked about loving your fellowman. He did NOT talk about getting great gifts or being politically correct.

At the SoupMobile Christmas is all about giving a MERRY CHRISTMAS to 500 homeless men and women. (Yep, I said Merry Christmas). Don't get me started on that Happy Holidays stuff.

On December 24--25th the SoupMobile will be celebrating the birth of Jesus with its:

7th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas Extravaganza

In honor of Jesus and celebrating his birth 2,000 years ago the SoupMobile will be taking 500 homeless men and women right off the streets and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They will all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we hold a huge banquet for them and in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it’s in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---NOT in a cardboard box under some bridge.

In Charles Dickens 1843 novel, Scrooge repents at the end, changes his ways and becomes a model of generosity and kindness. So what's Christmas going to look like for you this year? Are you getting or giving? If you are leaning towards the giving side, I might have just the thing for you. How about you come and volunteer with the SoupMan & his fabulous SoupTeam at the Hyatt Regency this December 24--25th as together we make 'Room at the Inn' for 500 homeless men and women and give them the most MERRY CHRISTMAS of their lives.

And guess what? As you give these 500 homeless men and women a MERRY CHRISTMAS you will experience the most MERRY CHRISTMAS of your own life. When you see the tears in their eyes and the smiles on their faces, your heart will be touched in ways it has never been before. Click on this link for more details - SoupMobile.org

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING!!!

2011-10-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Every month I write a Blog on issues relating to the SoupMobile, Homelessness and helping the less fortunate in our community. This month I'm going to break out of that mold and write about something totally different.

On October 18th I will be celebrating my 3rd Wedding Anniversary with my amazing wife Shana. It's been three terrific, fantastic, glorious, blissful, dazzling, marvelous, splendid, off the chain, wondrous and groovy years.

Some say I lucked out when Shana showed up on the SoupMobile's doorstep many years ago. Those who say that would be absolutely right. I lucked out big time. More accurately God blessed me big time! Shana is a bouncing ball of love and kindness. She wears her heart on her sleeve and loves both people and animals. She volunteers at the SoupMobile helping the homeless and is also active in animal rescues. I often joke that her passion for helping others makes me look like a slacker but I think it's absolutely true!

When Shana agreed to marry me and said 'I Do' I felt like the most blessed man on the planet. And with our 3rd Wedding Anniversary coming up, I still feel the same way.

So how does Shana feel about me? Hmm, well you will have to ask her yourself but I'm thinking I must be doing okay because she hasn't sent me back yet under the Free Look Provision in our marriage contract. Oh yeah, I've been on Triple Secret Probation right from the get go! However, for whatever reason she seems to love me. She even says she 'digs' me!

A more realistic view may come from a quote by Judith Viorst in Redbook Magazine in 1975. She said,

"INFATUATION is when she thinks he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Connors.

LOVE is when she realizes that you are as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford---but she will still take you anyway!"

I'm not sure which side of the fence Shana falls on---INFATUATION or LOVE---but I'm not going to quibble. I'm pretty sure I come off Triple Secret Probation on this upcoming 3rd Anniversary. From then on it's all gravy as I graduate to Double Secret Probation!!!

I'm sure there is a better wife out there than Shana---JUST NOT ON THIS PLANET!!!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

ON FIRE FOR JESUS! (Ladies Only)

2011-09-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Souper Ladies,

SAVE THE DATE! The first quarterly meeting of the Souper 100 has been set for:
Monday November 7, 2011 at the fabulous downtown Dallas Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Here's a short reminder of what the Souper 100 is all about. The SoupMobile's Souper 100 will be composed of 100 ladies (yes, it's ladies only) who are on fire for Christ. 100 smart, creative and out of the box thinking ladies who will use their power, influence and energy to help the SoupMobile in its mission of 'Feeding and Sheltering' the homeless.

The Souper 100 will meet quarterly at the souperRitz-Carlton Hotel for tea and crumpets. Special thanks to the Ritz-Carlton for hosting these teas for us totally pro-bono.

2,000 years ago Christ said "Go out into all the world." I don't know if he was thinking of a Souper 100 and the Ritz-Carlton when he said those words but this much I do know. Through 'Feeding & Sheltering' the homeless the SoupMobile is passionately committed to bringing the love of the Lord to the ones that Jesus called the 'least of these.'

The SoupMan & his fabulous SoupTeam are looking for 100 special ladies. Are you one of them?

Final note: Since the launch of the Souper 100, this question has come up: 'Do I really have to be on fire for Christ to be a member of the Souper 100?' I'm thinking that if you have read this far, that question has already been answered.

Okay Souper 100 ladies, the clock is ticking. Save the Date---November 7, 2011.

For more details about the Souper 100 go to www.soupmobile.org/souper100.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Souper 100 (Ladies Only)

2011-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Back in the winter of 1872, Caroline Astor was the self-crowned queen of New York Society. She formed a group called Mrs. Astor’s Four Hundred. The 400 was a ‘Who’s Who’ of New York Society. These elite 400 were invited to a special gala ball at Mrs. Astor’s palatial mansion each year. There was no real purpose to the Four Hundred except that they were seen as special and above everyone else.

Now let’s fast forward 139 years to the year 2011. The SoupMan & his fabulous SoupTeam have come up with a variation of Mrs. Astor’s 400. Our idea is called the Souper 100. Unlike the 400 which had no purpose other than to lord over others, the Souper 100 will have one major focus – to support the SoupMobile’s mission of helping the ones Jesus called the ‘least of these.’

Our Souper 100 will be composed of 100 ladies (yes, it’s ladies only) who are on fire for Christ. 100 smart, creative, and out of the box thinking ladies who will be willing to use their power, influence, and energy to help the SoupMobile in its mission of ‘Feeding & Sheltering’ the homeless.

The Souper 100 will meet quarterly at the fabulous downtown Dallas Ritz-Carlton Hotel for tea and crumpets. In addition to socializing with 100 other women who are passionate for serving Christ, you will be challenged to come up with creative, imaginative, and ingenious ways to support and help the SoupMobile. If you are looking for a dull, button down, by-the-books Mrs. Astor type organization, then the Souper 100 is NOT for you. However if you are looking to be part of something that will flat out rock your world for Jesus, then you have found a home.

Souper 100 members pay a $1,000 Annual Membership Fee. For some of you, that will not be a problem. For others you may have to stretch to make it happen. Whatever your situation, I want you to know that your Annual Membership fee goes directly to our mission of ‘Feeding & Sheltering’ the homeless. For more information on the Souper 100, CLICK HERE.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

SOUPMAN'S 39TH BIRTHDAY---AGAIN!!!

2011-08-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Another year has gone by and I am turning 39 (again) on August 18th. As I get older I often ponder 'What's it all about? Why am I here on this planet? Why are we here? What's our purpose? What's the meaning of it all?'

I've lived life on this planet two ways. Early on in my younger days I lived life just for myself. I basically worried about my wants, my needs and my life. I didn't give much thought to others. It wasn't that I mistreated others or gave people a bad time. It was just that I was the main focus of my life on this planet.

Guess what? Living life just for myself was not very satisfying. And no matter how much you have, when you are living your life for yourself its never enough. Its like there is a hole in your soul that can't be filled. The Bible tells us that Jesus will fill that hole but I think we have to do our part. In my own life I knew Jesus but that didn't seem to be enough. What I had to learn was that just knowing the words of Jesus was only half the equation. The other half was living the words of Jesus.Or as spoken in SoupSpeak, 'you can talk the talk but can you walk the walk?'

In my younger years I let a lot of birthdays go by where I just 'talked the talk'. Yeah, I went to church, quoted the Bible and believed in and loved Jesus but as for actually 'living' the words of Jesus---well that was for the other guy. It was only during the long term illness of my late wife Peggy that I started to 'live' the words of Jesus. And while I don't consider myself anything special, I do consider Jesus special and worthy of my obedience.

Jesus said "Feed MY Sheep." At the SoupMobile we believe that he wasn't making a suggestion but more of a call to action. We also believe he meant more than just food. He also meant love, caring, compassion and shelter. As the SoupMan I have the deep privilege of serving the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' That hole in my soul has been filled with a richness of caring, compassion and love.

Every year as my birthday rolls around, I am asked 'Hey SoupMan, what do you want for your birthday?' The answer is nothing. That hole in my soul has long been filled and I am in need of nothing. However if you insist on giving me something, then I would only ask this:

Give something to your fellowman. Reach out in love to those around you just like Jesus would have done. It could be something as simple as a friendly smile, putting a quarter in an expired parking meter, sending flowers to someone in a nursing home, fixing a stranded persons flat tire, volunteering at a local charity, praying for a friend, buying a meal for a homeless person, or a hundred other little things that can make a big difference in someone's life.

If you will reach out to your fellowman in love, kindness and mercy then you will have given me the best birthday gift I could ever ask for. I have lived my life both ways. Early on when it was all about me and now, where its all about 'Feeding HIS Sheep.' The latter is far more satisfying.

p.s. Yes, the SoupMan is turning 39---again!!! I will leave you with the words of one of the smartest men from the 20th Century. Albert Einstein said "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile."

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Who's Number One???

2011-07-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Who's Number One! That's a question that seems to be asked all the time in our society. We are obsessed with who's the number one sports team; who's the richest man in the world; who's the top movie star; who's the best athlete; who makes the best widgets and many more Who's the....................

Recently at SoupMobile Headquarters this very question came up. The question was who's the most important person working at the SoupMobile. Here's how the question came up. We were writing a Public Relations piece involving myself and another staffer at the SoupMobile. The piece listed the other staffer first and me second in the introduction. That other staffer was my good friend Lon Ricker who is the Director of Development at the SoupMobile. He said there had been a mistake in the piece and that my name should have been first in the introduction, not his and we needed to change it.

I asked him why he thought my name should be first and not his. He said that traditionally the most important person is always listed first in a public relations piece. He went on to say that he thought I was more important than him at the SoupMobile and hence my name should be first.

I have a couple of observations about Lon's comment. First, this shows you what a humble man he is. If the SoupMobile had to name a MVP---Most Valuable Player, Lon would be high up on the list. Not only is he our Director of Development, he is the Chairman of our yearly Golf Outing and is the Chairman of our yearly Celebrate Jesus Christmas event. He is what you would call a 'go to guy.' If you need something done, call Lon. Yet in spite of all his accomplishments at the SoupMobile, he thought I was more important and that I should be listed first.

I have to tell you that I think Lon was incorrect. I am not the most important person (Number One) at the SoupMobile. For the right answer to this question of Who's Number One, we need to turn to the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 12:25 & 26 it says 'that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.'

The SoupMobile is made up of many parts. Staffers, supporters, friends, donors, volunteers, and prayer warriors. Who's Number One out of that group? Again I refer you to the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 it says 'just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body...."

At the SoupMobile we are all 'one body.' We are joined together in our common mission of helping the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' So is the SoupMan the most important person (Number One) at the SoupMobile? No, not by a long shot. Is it that humble guy Lon? He would definitely tell you it's not him. Perhaps it's Stanley--our dishwasher; or Thomas--our Head Chef; or maybe Angel--who mops our floors; or Charine--our Office Manager? In my eyes we are all equally important. Not one of us better than the other; not one of us more important and not one of us Number One!

Yet in our fast paced modern society we seem to be enamored with the question of Who's Number One? So okay, if I absolutely have to, I will pick the Number One player at the SoupMobile. Its one of our more humble people; a guy with a flair for out of the box thinking; a knack for getting things done; a selfless spirit and a willingness to give his very life for you. His name---Jesus! HE's the answer to the question---Who's Number One at the SoupMobile. HE's our star player. HE's our mountain mover. HE's our Number One.

As Executive Director of the SoupMobile I am one part of the body. No more important---no less important than anyone else here. I am blessed to be surrounded by an army of men and women who share my commitment and passion for 'Feeding and Sheltering' the homeless. So if you must---go ahead and call me the most important person at the SoupMobile. However, no matter how long or how loud you say it---you will be incorrect. The answer will always be the same: Our Number One is Jesus!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Baby, It's Hot Outside!!!

2011-07-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Have you noticed its been pretty hot in Dallas lately. We've had a whole stream of 100 degree days with no end in sight. I mean like, its smoking out there. Well, no real worries! We've got this thing called Air Conditioning (A/C). Oh yeah, good old A/C. Yep, we've got A/C in our homes, our cars, our offices, at church, in movie theaters, at the mall and gee whiz---just about anyplace we go.

So no worries. It's cool (all puns intended). Just like every summer in Texas we know it's gonna be a hot one. It's totally cool because most of us simply leave our A/C homes, get into our A/C cars and then arrive at our A/C offices. Just a few steps in between to feel the heat. Just enough so we can tell everyone we meet just how hot it is out there. And for our local TV Weather People its a huge talking point every night. But that's about the extent of it---it's just a talking point. After all in this modern day culture we all have A/C, don't we?

Oh wait, lets back up the A/C truth train for a moment. Hmm, on second thought I guess we don't all have A/C. In fact now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure there is a huge segment of the population who gets little or no A/C.

A little birdie told me that we have more that 10,000 homeless people living right here in the Dallas area. For most of them A/C is only a dream. There is no A/C if you are living in a cardboard box under a bridge; no A/C if you're home is a lean-to shack in the woods; no A/C if the place you lay your head each night is an abandoned building and interestingly enough no A/C in some of our homeless shelters. Our homeless friends have to suffer the entire summer in the sweltering heat. They face heat related problems like sunstroke, heatstroke and dehydration. All life threatening conditions. They face not just the general discomfort of the heat blast we get going from our house to our car to our office but a constant heat blast that can exceed 100 degrees in the day and stay in the 80's even at night. And with their limited access to water and fluids the situation can be downright dangerous.

So do we really care? We've got A/C and they (the homeless) don't. Does is really matter? Well I'm thinking it would matter to a guy who walked the earth about 2,000 years ago. Yeah, that Jesus fellow. He talked about reaching out to the ones HE called the 'least of these.' I think he would care. I know I care. I know my fabulous SoupTeam cares. I'm thinking that you care to. But caring is not enough if you're not doing. Yes, when Jesus talked about reaching out to those in need HE wasn't making a suggestion---HE was calling us all to action. In SoupSpeak, it means 'put up or shut up'. By gosh, its hot outside---do something. Don't just talk about the heat---do something!

Okay, I can hear you scratching you head and saying, "SoupMan, you got any ideas." Well as a matter of fact I do. How about something as simple as buying some bottled water for the homeless. You can buy a case of water for about four bucks. Way less than a double mocha spritzer carmel sprinkled foamed latte coffee at Starbucks. Buy a case of water and pass it out to the homeless. Can't do that you say. Okay, then buy it and bring it to the SoupMobile and we will pass out to the homeless. Can't do that you say. Okay, then go online at www.soupmobile.org and donate the money and we will buy the water and pass it out to the homeless.

Maybe one day you spring for the ice cream dessert for our 600 homeless lunchtime meals. Maybe you help us sponsor a homeless residence in SoupMobile Village (our homes have A/C). Maybe you come with us at lunchtime and help us serve the 600 meals in the 100 degree heat and show our homeless friends you're in it (the heat) with them.

Bottom line: Do something! Don't let the rest of the summer go by as you go from your A/C home to your A/C car and to your A/C office. Do something meaningful to help the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Still don't know what to do. Then call the SoupMan at 1-800-375-5022. He will give you some ideas. But if you call him, be prepared to think out of the box and push the envelope in a big way. The homeless have big problems that require big solutions. But no worries about that either because we serve a Big God!!!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

THE STATE OF THE UNION

2011-06-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

The State of the Union is an Annual Address given by the President of the United States to the country every January. The President essentially reports on how he sees things going in our great country.

Well, it’s June and as Executive Director of the SoupMobile I thought you might be interested in a State of the Union address about the SoupMobile. The SoupMobile's Mission Statement is three simple words spoken by Jesus himself, "Feed MY Sheep." We do that in three separate distinct ways.

1. Feeding: We serve more than 200,000 meals per year to the homeless in the Dallas area.

2. Shelter: We shelter the homeless in our group housing called SoupMobile Village.

3. Christmas: Every year at Christmas we take 500 homeless men and women right off the streets and put them up for a magical Christmas at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel in our event called Celebrate Jesus.

Most recently, on May 1^st we opened the 4th & 5th group homes in SoupMobile Village. So if you are paying attention you will see that I'm throwing a lot of numbers at you, i.e. 200,000 meals; 500 homeless; 5 group homes. Numbers! Numbers! Numbers! And by any measure some fairly substantial numbers!

But numbers are not what this State of the SoupMobile Union address is all about. We are NOT just about the numbers. We are about the people; the less fortunate people that Jesus called the 'least of these.' Oh sure, it’s nice to say that we serve an amazing 200,000 meals this year, and it’s exciting to let you know that in 18 short months we now have 5 groups homes up and operating in SoupMobile Village. And oh yeah, taking 500 homeless to the Hyatt for Christmas every year is pretty cool, but that's all numbers. At the SoupMobile I'd like to think we are all about the people not the numbers. People like:

Jennifer G. When we found Jennifer she was going to be sleeping in her car with her beloved dog. After only two months in SoupMobile Village she had obtained a job and her own housing.

Thomas W. We found him a year ago living in an abandoned building. He had no hope and no prospects. Now he's a resident in SoupMobile Village, holds down a full time job as Head Chef at the SoupMobile, and is a shining beacon of light to those still out in the cold.

Susan G. She was 48 hours from being evicted from her apartment. After just over a month in our group housing she got a job as a Nurses Aid with live in housing.

Todd R. Living hand to mouth on the streets and sometimes staying in seedy motels he found housing in SoupMobile Village. Within 6 weeks he had been promoted to Annex Manager at the SoupMobile.

These people are NOT numbers or statistics. They are real live human beings; people who fell on hard times and needed a 'Hand Up' not a 'Hand Out.' The SoupMobile is all about the people. I think that's just the way Jesus would want us to be.

How about you? Are you about the numbers or about the people? I suspect if you are reading this blog it means you are all about the people.

P.S. How about you? Would you like to be part of a charity that is focused on people, not numbers? If so, simply go to www.soupmobile.org for more details. It will be life changing both for you and the people that you help.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

DOUBTING THOMAS!!!

2011-05-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

We’ve all read the Biblical story of ‘Doubting Thomas’. He was a disciple of Jesus who doubted Jesus’ resurrection and demanded to feel Jesus’ wounds before being convinced. The story had a happy ending as Thomas ended up professing his faith in Jesus.

So let’s fast forward 2,000 years and let the SoupMan tell you about another Thomas. Unlike the original Doubting Thomas, our Thomas has complete faith in Jesus and has no doubt of who HE is. Our Thomas had a different problem. It seems everyone was ‘Doubting’ him. At every turn people were doubting his ability, desire and willingness to turn his life around. Let me tell more about our modern day Thomas.

Thomas W. is the Head Chef at the SoupMobile and also serves as our Warehouse Manager. His work ethic is second to none and he is passionate about our mission of ‘Feeding HIS Sheep.’ When we found Thomas a year ago he was homeless and living in an abandoned building. He had no hope, no prospects and no one was willing to give him a chance. Thomas will candidly admit he has taken some wrong turns in his life.

For Thomas it all started growing up without a father and on the wrong side of the tracks. At an early age he fell in with the wrong crowd and got in trouble with the law. Growing up things went from bad to worse as he fell into drugs. He lived life on the edge and many times he went right over that edge. Finally as an adult he hit rock bottom. Homeless and living in that abandoned house he reconnected with God and prayed that he would get a second chance to get things right in his life. Everyone was ‘doubting’ him. They doubted he was serious about getting back on the straight and narrow. They doubted he would give up the drugs. They doubted he could ever make a real difference in this world.

I remember the first conversation I ever had with Thomas. He was coming to me looking for a job at the SoupMobile. The first thing that impressed me was that he did not try to hide his troubled past from me. He was upfront about his history of taking wrong turns. He told me about his problems with the law and drugs. He held nothing back. Then he looked me in the eye and said, “SoupMan, all I want is a second chance. Let me prove to you that I am serious about turning my life around.” He capped it off by saying “I won’t let you down.” Wow, strong words to be sure! Now the pressure was on me to make a decision. Did we give Thomas a second chance or did we ‘doubt’ him as all the others had.

As I considered Thomas’ plea for a second chance, I could not help but think of Jesus. 2,000 years ago Jesus hung on the cross to give us all a second chance. And as I look at my own life, I am amazed at how many times Jesus has forgiven me for my own missteps, mistakes and failures. Who was I to deny Thomas a second chance. Somewhere deep in my heart I knew that Thomas was serious about turning his life around. I also knew that if I said no to him I would have to look at myself in the mirror each morning knowing that Jesus had given me a second chance but I was not willing to do the same. I’m pleased to tell you that Thomas kept his promise to me. Not only did he NOT let me down, he has turned out to be an incredible blessing to the SoupMobile and to the less fortunate we serve.

I’d like to tell you that I knew for sure Thomas would make it with us. Truth be told, I had a hunch he would do well but I was far from certain. What I did know for sure was that Jesus would have given him a second chance. How could I do any less.

Thomas’ story is what the SoupMobile is all about. We are all about restoration. We are in the business of restoring lives. We are in the business of reaching deep into the heart of the homeless community and giving homeless men and women a second chance in life. We are in the business of serving Jesus by serving HIS sheep.

How about you? Would you like to be part of our mission? Would you like to get into the restoration business with us? Would you like to ‘Feed HIS Sheep?’ If the answer is yes, you can help us two ways. One is to come and volunteer with us. If you do, be prepared to put your heart and soul into your efforts. The second way you can help is financially. Good works don’t come free. Whether you support us with one dollar or one million dollars or anywhere in between, it all goes toward helping the ones Jesus called the ‘least of these.’ For more details about Volunteering or making a Donation, please visit our website: www.soupmobile.org.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Look what YOU'VE done!

2011-04-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends:

Texas is a big state and is known for doing things in a big way. In that tradition the SoupMobile has a big number to report to you. We just served our 750,000^th meal. Yes, you heard right---since its inception in 2003, the SoupMobile has now served over three quarters of a million meals. Even by Texas standards that’s a huge number!

In the SoupMobile’s first year of operation in 2003 we served 5,000 meals. At the time we thought it was a lot. Every year since, our feeding numbers have dramatically increased. You might be wondering who gets the credit for the SoupMobile serving 750,000 meals. First, on a heavenly scale we give thanks to the Lord. It was his son Jesus who said “Feed My Sheep.’ We’ve noticed that when HE gives you a mission HE also gives you the means to fulfill that mission. Second, on an earthly scale we give thanks to YOU---yes YOU! At the SoupMobile we are surrounded by an army of friends, supporters, volunteers, donors and prayer warriors. YOU are the reason we have served more than 750,000 hot, hearty and nutritious meals to the ones Jesus called the ‘least of these.’

As you know the SoupMobile doesn’t just serve food. We also shelter the homeless in SoupMobile Village. The Village is a series of group homes located right here in the Dallas area. Each home designed to take a homeless man or woman right off the streets, put a roof over their heads, clean them up, get them a job and return them as productive working members of society. It’s a ‘Hand Up’, not a ‘Hand Out.’ And who gets the credit for SoupMobile Village. Yes, you guessed it. God first and then YOU! Yes YOU again!

Of course the SoupMobile doesn’t just stop with Feeding and Sheltering the homeless. Every Christmas we take 500 homeless men and women right off the streets and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel in an event called CELEBRATE JESUS.
They all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we hold a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it’s not in a cardboard box under some bridge but in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt. And who gets the credit for this amazing Christmas we give to the homeless each year. Yep, still the same answer---God first and then YOU!

Sometimes in the whirlwind of serving the homeless we don’t get a chance to thank you enough for your help. But let’s face it! YOU are the true heart and soul of the SoupMobile. YOU, our faithful friends, supporters, volunteers, donors and prayer warriors. So in case we haven’t said it loud enough and clear enough---THANK YOU from the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam for your faithful support. Together we are reaching deep into the heart of the homeless community! Together we are making a real difference in this world! Together we are making a difference for Christ!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

We can Talk the Talk---but can we Walk the Walk!!!

2011-03-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

I just finished reading a book titled: Under the Overpass---by Mike Yankoski. It’s a story of two upper-middle class young men who decided to leave their safe and comfortable existence and live life homeless on the streets of America. For five months the pair experienced firsthand the extreme pains of hunger, the constant danger of living on the streets, exhaustion, depression and social rejection---all by their own choice.

I believe that God was sending me a message through this book. The book itself puts a spotlight on the incredible hardships the homeless face every day. Issues like getting enough food, staying safe in a dangerous world, surviving the heat of summer and the cold of winter and being treated like dirt—just because they are homeless.

So you might be wondering what message could God be sending the SoupMan through this book? After all, for the last eight years I’ve devoted my life, my very being to caring for the homeless. Along with an army of friends, donors, supporters and prayer warriors we serve on the front lines in the war against hunger in the Dallas area. We give the homeless clothing, food, shelter and lots of love. The things that Mike talked about in his book were very familiar to me. Nonetheless, I believe God was sending me a powerful message with this book. HE was saying, ‘SoupMan, it’s time to up your game.’

One of the recurring themes in the book was how so called ‘Christian’ people went to church every Sunday and ‘Talked the Talk’ but did NOT ‘Walk the Walk.’ Mike & Sam made it a point to go to church every Sunday for the five months that they lived life homeless on the streets. At many of the churches they felt isolated because of how they looked, smelled and who people perceived them to be. At one church they asked the Pastor for food and he responded by saying, “That’s not what we do.” At another church a sign hung over the mahogany double doors that said in big red letters: ‘No Loitering--- Church Business Only—Police Enforced.’ Even worse Mike & Sam were treated like pond scum on the streets by some (not all) of these same so called men and women of God. I can’t believe Jesus is smiling about all of this.

The Bible says, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ Mike & Sam found out first hand that many people know those words but don’t practice them. Now some of you might be saying, ‘Hey SoupMan, you and your supporters certainly aren’t part of that crowd---after all you do so much for the homeless.’ True enough, we do a lot for the homeless but I believe God was telling me through this book that we are not doing enough. The Bible says that to “Whom much is given, much is required.”

God is telling us all to ‘up our game.’ Not just ‘Talk the Talk’ but ‘Walk the Walk.’ I put myself at the top of this list. I need to do more for the homeless. I need to do more for reaching out to the one’s Jesus called the least of these. I need to ‘up my game’ for Christ. As part of my commitment to ‘up my game’ I am redoubling my efforts to find a way to start SoupMobile Diner.

The Diner will NOT be a soupkitchen. It will be a regular restaurant that serves quality lunches to the business people and residents of the community. All the while it will be employing and training homeless men and women in the art of restaurant operations like cooking, customer service skills, restaurant management, food inventory management and cash handling. SoupMobile Diner will be a training ground for our homeless men and women to acquire skills and then move on as productive working members of the community. It will be giving a ‘Hand UP’, not a “Hand Out.’

In the last eight years the SoupMobile has done a lot for the homeless but we can’t sit on our laurels. We must do more for the Kingdom. Are you with me? Will you join me by ‘upping your own game.’ I need financial help starting SoupMobile Diner. I’m looking for a donor(s) with deep pockets and an even deeper heart for Christ. If that’s you, contact me directly at david@soupmobile.org or call me at 1-800-375-5022. Let’s ‘up our game’ together!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

IT WAS ALL HE HAD TO GIVE!!!

2011-02-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

It's February 2011 and I'm still thinking about Christmas 2010. Something extraordinary happened at our 2010 Celebrate Jesus Christmas event that touched me very deeply. As you know, ever year the SoupMobile takes 500 (YES 500) homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and puts them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we hold a huge banquet in their honor.

Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it's in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---NOT in a cardboard box under some bridge.

It was truly a magical Christmas for both our 500 homeless guests and the more than 1,500 volunteers that attended. As usual, our own Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert came in his tuxedo, rolled up his sleeves and led the serving of food to our homeless guests at the banquet. A special musical performance by the world famous VOCAL MAJORITY CHOIR made the banquet even more special for our homeless men and women. Lon Ricker, the Chairman of the Celebrate Jesus Christmas event received special kudos from the Mayor for making it a truly unforgettable Christmas for the homeless of Dallas.

As special as all of the above was, something happened at the very end of the event that I will remember for the rest of my life. Each year at the end of the event when our homeless guests are leaving, I stand at the hotel exit door and personally thank each and every one of them for coming, give them all a hug and wish them a Merry Christmas. As you can well imagine I hear a lot of grateful thanks from these homeless men & women for the magical Christmas they have just experienced. However this year was different. In addition to the normal thank you's, one homeless man gave me something I will never forget.

He was one of the last of our guests to leave the hotel. Like all the others I reached out to shake his hand and give him a hug. As I was shaking his hand he pressed something into my hand, drew me close for a bear like hug and whispered in my ear "SoupMan, this is all I have to give but I want you to have it." In a thousand years you will never guess what he pressed into my hand. As he walked out of the hotel I looked down in my hand and there was a Crucifix---with a gold plated image of Jesus hanging from the cross. I was stunned. Here was a man with virtually nothing to his name, yet he gave me the one thing 'HE HAD TO GIVE.'---a Cross of Jesus.

Every year I am approached by family, friends and supporters and asked what gift I would like for Christmas. I always respond by saying that I already have my gift---which is the privilege and honor of 'Feeding HIS Sheep.' However it seemed God wanted me to have a gift that would last a lifetime. This gift of the Crucifix is by far the best gift I have ever received. This man had nothing, yet he gave me ALL HE HAD TO GIVE. I promise you that I am not worthy of such a gift but I am so very grateful. A man with nothing to give except the love of Jesus and he gave it to me. I am truly humbled.

How about you? Would you like your own special gift? Christmas 2011 is more than 10 months away but you can volunteer at the SoupMobile right now. I can't promise you exactly what gift the Lord will send your way but I can promise you that it will be very special. And if it's even half as special as the gift of the Cross I received, you will be very blessed. For more details about volunteering with the SoupMan & his fabulous SoupTeam simply go to www.soupmobile.org and click on VOLUNTEER. Also please give prayerful consideration to making a financial donation to help us 'Feed HIS Sheep.'

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

WE NEVER CLOSE!!!

2011-02-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Last week was very difficult for many Dallasites and even harder on the homeless. On Tuesday a major cold front came in along with freezing rain and snow. Literally overnight streets and highways were turned into a quagmire of ice and slush. Many businesses and non-profit charities quickly shut down for the entire week. Somehow the SoupMobile managed to stay open. It wasn't easy but we kept our services to the homeless flowing. Our motto is WE NEVER CLOSE!

It's not that we are better than anyone else. WE ARE NOT! It's more that we believe that when the weather turns bad it's even more crucial that we continue to feed, shelter and provide warm clothing to our homeless men and women in the Dallas area. The more fierce the weather the more difficult it is for the homeless to survive. Imagine living in a cardboard box under a bridge with wind chills hovering close to zero and no help in sight. Compounding their plight is that many homeless service providers did close down for the week making life even more difficult for the homeless.

When the harsh weather hit on Tuesday morning one of our supporters asked me (with great skepticism) if we were going to feed the homeless that day. My response was "I guarantee that we will feed today AND throughout the entire week." He followed up by saying the roads may be impassible and our mobile feeding vans may not be able to get to the homeless. I answered and said we would carry the food in on dog sleds if necessary. He laughed at what he thought was the absurdity of my statement. I wasn't kidding. The SoupMobile was going to do what ever it took to keep feeding and helping the homeless. Failure is NOT an option! The ones that Jesus called the “least of these” desperately needed hot food, blankets and warm clothing and the SoupMobile was committed to making sure they got it.

How did we do it? Well the key word is “WE”. It was a total team effort. We did NOT require or ask any of our staff to come in last week. The roads were in terrible shape and we were of course concerned for everyone's safety. However my core staff came in anyway. I did not ask them to come in, nor did I even hint that they should come in. They came in on their own. One by one they showed up every day. Sometimes it took hours for them to make the commute as they drove their vehicles at less than 20 miles per hour to stay safe on their journey. Some came by bus and that in itself was quite an ordeal as the bus lines ran quite sporadically. One of my staff took the bus on Wednesday but could get no closer than 3 miles from our headquarters. He walked the rest of the way. Failure was NOT an option for him!

On Thursday the SoupMobile did double duty. With bitter cold temperatures and icy road conditions, a major apartment fire hit a complex on Melody Lane. The SoupMobile called a Code Blue Alert and sent a team to partner with the Red Cross in distributing hot food, blankets, warm clothes and lots of love to the residents who were displaced by the fire. And even though we were stretched doubly thin that day with our normal feeding operation and helping the fire victims, not one of my staff complained, said this
was unfair, or that this was too much. They simply rose to the occasion and got the job done. Failure was NOT an option!

At the SoupMobile my title may be Executive Director, but I don't have to lead my people. They lead themselves! I consider it a privilege to work shoulder to shoulder with them in “Feeding HIS Sheep.” You know you have a great staff when you don't have to tell them what to do---they do it all on their own. At the SoupMobile my people don't consider what they do as a job---they consider it to be their passion. And when it is your passion you find ways to get the job done---even when half the State of Texas is shut down!

I want to give special thanks to Doug & Jenine Guffey of Sleep Inc of Corsicana, Texas. On Tuesday morning, with the ice storm hitting hard, they sent a semi-truckload of blankets to the SoupMobile. How their driver got through to us was a miracle in itself. Those blankets turned out to be a life saver for hundreds of homeless men and women.

Of course we give the ultimate thanks to the Lord. He kept the entire SoupMobile staff safe all week. Not one car accident, not one vehicle breakdown, not one slip and fall on the ice and not one injury. God knew that WE NEVER CLOSE and he made sure we stayed safe during one of the most dangerous winter weather storms we have had in years. My grateful thanks to all my friends and supporters who were praying for us all week long. God heard your prayers and he kept us safe. Praise the Lord!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

LADY WITH A BIG HEART!!!

2011-01-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

I met a young lady this week with a big heart. Her name is Lisa Robison and she is the Founder & President of a local Dallas non-profit called 'Dwell with Dignity' (DWD).

A few years ago as Lisa was approaching her 40th birthday, her husband asked her what she wanted as a gift. After much thought she decided that she didn't want anything for herself. What she did want was a 'venue' to give to the less fortunate in our community.

So after much thought and prayer she came up with the idea of 'Dwell with Dignity---a non-profit dedicated to designing and furnishing home interiors for families escaping poverty and homelessness. Imagine if you will, a homeless family finally being able to move into their own housing. However that's only half the battle. Typically they would be moving into a barren space without any furniture, appliances, bedding or kitchen ware. That's where Lisa and DWD ride to the rescue. They come in and take an empty space and transform it into a comfortable, warm and loving space---a real home. How does Lisa and her fabulous team know they are doing good. They need only look at the smiles on the faces of the incoming families and the tears in their eyes as the new homeowners see the incredible transformation DWD has made in their new home.

However that's not the end of the story. In fact its only the beginning. You see, Lisa started DWD on a wing and a lot of prayers. Armed only with a little seed money from her husband and a lot of prayers Lisa and DWD have come light years in the last 24 months. They have done so well that they are booked up for home makeovers for the coming year. Therein lies the rub. It take money to make it all happen. And while people from all over the Dallas area have been incredibly generous in donating home furnishings, cash is what really makes it all work.

I want to encourage my readers to reach out to Lisa and DWD with both furnishings AND monies. I can speak from experience here. You need money to run a non-profit. Good works don't come free. I'm asking you to give prayer consideration to partnering with Lisa and DWD in a monetary way. I'm not asking you to give to her sacrificially. I'm asking you to give to her out of your abundance. Lisa is making a difference! You too can make a difference by partnering with her in this wonderful cause. Visit the DWD website for more details on how to contact Lisa and how to help. http://www.dwellwithdignity.org/Contact.html

Did I mention that Lisa is a LADY WITH A BIG HEART!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

BABY, ITS COLD OUTSIDE!!!

2011-01-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

In case you haven't noticed, 'Baby, it's cold outside!!!' A cold arctic blast has hit the Dallas area. Winds chills in the teens and not a lot of sunshine. For most of us regular folk it's only a minor inconvenience. We sashay from our heated homes to our heated cars to our heated offices. Oh yeah, we have to brave the cold as we transfer from one heated place to another but all in all we do pretty well each winter.

However, if you are a homeless man or woman (yes, there are many homeless women out there) it's not so easy getting through the winter. Imagine sleeping in a cardboard box under an expressway with temperatures below freezing and the wind ripping through your encampment. I recently had a speaking engagement about homelessness at an affluent church in Dallas. One of the audience members remarked to me, "Well they (the homeless) should just stay in a shelter if they want to keep warm." Au contraire" I responded---for you regular folk that means 'that dog don't hunt'---and if you want to hear it in pure SoupMan soupspeak it means---NO WAY.

Its estimated that there are 10,000 homeless in the Dallas area but that only about 2,000 shelter beds are available on any given night. Simple math tells us there is not enough 'Room at the Inn.' Just last night I drove by one of the major shelters in Dallas and outside sleeping on the cold sidewalk were at least 25 homeless people. Yes, they were sleeping 'outside' the shelter---there was not enough 'room at the inn.'

Okay, so now you know what the problem is--- too many homeless and not enough shelter beds. So what's the solution you might ask? Well on a ground level basis we need to try to help the ones that are sleeping out in the cold every night. They need warm coats, blankets, gloves and hats. Recently I put out a 'Code Blue' Weather Alert and asked for donations of warm weather gear. I'm pleased to say that the response was fantastic. Friends, donors and supporters stepped up to the plate and donated some much need warm weather gear. However winter has a long way to go and the SoupMobile needs more---particularly warm winter coats. Got coats??? Email the SoupMan at david@soupmobile.org.

On a more advanced level the solution to thousands of homeless people not being able to get 'room at the inn' is more shelter beds. The SoupMobile is also working hard on that front. In 2009 we opened up SoupMobile Village---a series of group homes designed to take a homeless man or women off the streets, put a roof over their heads, clean then up, get them a job and return them as productive 'working' members of society. It's a 'Hand Up' not a 'Hand Out.'

And lets not forget the number one thing homeless people need---Love!!! Yep, you heard me right---the number one thing they need is Love---specifically the love of Jesus. We have to love our homeless men and women. The way I do it is to imagine that one of them may just be Jesus. And hey---if you knew it was Jesus standing out there in the cold, you would move heaven and earth to help him. Well, whether it's Jesus or not, these homeless men and women are his precious children. Lets give them love, compassion, caring and shelter. How can you do that? Simple, join the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam as we reach out in love to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' For more information on how to be part of our amazing mission, go to www.soupmobile.org. Be prepared to change lives and be prepared for your own life to change.

Baby, It's Cold Outside---and you can do something about it.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

The SoupMan, Executive Director of the Year???

2010-12-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Lon Ricker and I’m the Director of Development at the SoupMobile. That’s just a fancy title for saying that I do everything I can to raise the money to support what often seems like outrageous ideas of the SoupMan. It also means that I have passwords to, among other things, his blog site, and today I decided to “take over” and talk about him, the SoupMan (a.k.a., David Timothy).

When I transitioned from stirring spaghetti on Wednesdays to writing grants and other fundraising activities (such as the Celebrate Jesus Christmas event), a few of the other “office workers” quietly lobbied me to “fix” the SoupMan. “He uses too many exclamation points” and “Sometimes he doesn’t use the correct grammar” and “You CAN’T buy personalized license plates for a vehicle you don’t even own yet!” were some of the things that people tried to convince me needed to be fixed. To say the SoupMan is unconventional is a bit of an understatement. (I mean, how many people have the nerve to put a One Million Dollar button on the Donation page of their website? http://soupmobile.org/component/content/article/129)

Face it, David became the Executive Director of the SoupMobile because he STARTED the SoupMobile. Its not because he has a wall full of degrees and credentials. And its not because he had experience running mega-bagillion dollar capital campaigns. And its not even because he climbed the ladder of leadership at other nonprofits. No, its because God put into his heart to feed and shelter the homeless and he’s darn good at it.

You see, when the SoupMan gets an idea of how to help the ones Jesus called the ‘least of these’, he not only throws conventional wisdom aside, but he pretty much ignores it. Don’t get me wrong, he is NOT some loose cannon running around doing crazy things with no thought given. Rather he doesn’t know the word ‘impossible’ and he won’t accept the attitude of “but you’ve never done it before” as reason for not doing it anyway. Like the bumblebee that aerodynamically should not be able to fly, David accomplishes all that he does because “no one told him he can’t fly”.

SoupMobile Village is just one example of people trying to convince David that he should “stick with what he knows best (feeding)” and leave housing the homeless to those with experience. Well, in less than a year we have 3 (THREE!) SoupMobile Village homes up and running and just received notice that funding is on the way for the FOURTH! Ummm, Mr. BumbleBee….ah, never mind you’re already working on SoupMobile Diner.

I can tell you this, I’ve actually had grant requests denied because we don’t follow ALL of the conventions for a “normal” nonprofit agency. It drives me crazy because some of these large foundations look more at “structure” than they do at what we are actually accomplishing. They don’t seem to take notice that nearly 80 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to our mission to “Feed HIS Sheep”. They seem to ignore the fact that for the 7 years that David has been the Executive Director of the SoupMobile, his salary has averaged less than $13,000 per year! (Come to think of it, maybe he’s the Executive Director because no one else WANTS the job.)

Well folks, I’m happy to tell you that has all changed! That’s right; David is not the Executive Director of the SoupMobile because of his credentials. He’s the Executive Director of this growing agency because he is good at it! Because he has a passion for it!!! And BECAUSE of what he has accomplished with his unconventional ways!!!!! (Exclamation points and all!)

And at their 10^th Anniversary Night of Light ceremony, the Center for Nonprofit Management crowned The SoupMan as Executive Director of the Year!!!

And in true SoupMan style, when they made the announcement, and cranked up the Rocky Theme Song, he RAN up to the stage with the enthusiasm and spirit of a man that doesn’t live by conventional wisdom. His ‘style’ of shaping and growing the SoupMobile into what it has become today was affirmed on that night. You don’t have to sit behind a big mahogany desk (we occasionally move the mop bucket out of his office if he’s expecting a guest) or follow some “Roberts Rules of Order” to be acknowledged for the work you are doing. David will often say “if you are doing God’s work, He will help you accomplish it”.

Well, I should probably turn the password to his blog back over to him, but I thought you should know that this unconventional, even a bit quirky man that we know as the "SoupMan" has finally been recognized and validated by his peers. As for me, I’m just proud to call him Friend.

God bless,

Lon

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS FOR JESUS

2010-12-27T13:17:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Well, that's another Christmas in the books. Or as we like to say at the SoupMobile---Another Christmas for Jesus! How so, you say?

2,000 years ago there was 'No Room at the Inn' for baby Jesus. However in 2010 the SoupMobile made 'Room at the Inn' for hundreds of homeless folks. We just celebrated our 6th Annual CELEBRATE JESUS Christmas event. We took 500 (YES 500) homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They all received new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we held a huge mega banquet in their honor. Most important when they woke up on Christmas morning it was in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box under some bridge.

Once again the special guest server at this years event was Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. He was joined by over 1,500 volunteers who came to the Hyatt to help out with the event. For the 2nd year in a row, Lon Ricker was the Chairman of the Celebrate Jesus Christmas event. He did an amazing job as he coordinated and ran this massive event. Our special thanks to Lon for giving of himself to this wonderful cause.

In reality it all keeps coming back to Jesus. HE said "Feed My Sheep." At the SoupMobile we believe he meant more than just food. He also meant love, caring, compassion and shelter. The SoupMobile does this on a daily basis throughout the year. Celebrating Christmas at the Hyatt with our 500 homeless guests is the grand finale of our efforts every year. My special thanks to all the volunteers that attended the event and to all those that supported the SoupMobile during the year.

Yes, it was another 'Christmas for Jesus.' Now its back to 'every day for Jesus.' The SoupMobile is on the front lines on a year around basis as we wage a war against hunger in the Dallas area. Every day we are spreading the love of Jesus as we go about our mission of 'Feeding' and 'Sheltering' the homeless. The SoupMan would be honored if you would join him in 2011 and work shoulder to shoulder with him as we 'Feed HIS Sheep.' For more details about the SoupMobile go to: www.soupmobile.org

May the Lord Bless Bless & Keep You.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

2010-12-20T12:00:00.001-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

What's the true meaning of Christmas?

Is it just about Christmas trees, lights, holiday dinner and gifts? Or is it more? For me its all about the birth of Jesus. More specifically its about giving. My wife Shana says it this way, "If you're not giving, you're not living." We know from the Bible that Jesus was all about giving.

So what will you be doing this Christmas? Will you be giving? No I don't mean giving in the 'commercial' sense. I mean giving of yourself to help others in need. I mean reaching out to your fellowman in love. I mean stepping out of your comfort zone to make a real difference in the life of someone less fortunate than yourself.

In just a few days the SoupMobile will be celebrating its 6th Annual SoupMobile Celebrate Jesus Christmas event. We will be taking 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel. They will all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we will hold a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box under some bridge.

How would you like to be part of a group of more than 1,500 volunteers who will be coming to the Hyatt this Christmas. How would you like to join us in making it a magical Christmas for 500 homeless men and women. How would you like to experience the most magical Christmas of your own life. A Christmas of giving---not the giving of gifts but the giving of yourself.

Let this be your year---your Christmas to make a real difference in the life of a homeless person. For more details how to volunteer, go to www.soupmobile.org and click on CELEBRATE JESUS.

Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless and keep you.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

MAYOR WITH A HEART

2010-12-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

2,000 years ago a child was born in Bethlehem. As this child grew into  manhood he did some amazing things. He did miraculous things like turning water  into wine. Then he topped that by walking on the water. He went around laying  hands on people and healing them. Then he bumped that up a notch & started  healing people that he had never seen by simply speaking the Word. Not satisfied  with that, he began raising  people from the dead. Even that was not  enough as he raised himself from the dead. His name---Jesus!

A couple of thousand years later a man was born who would grow up to the  Mayor of one of the largest cities in America. His name---Tom Leppert. You might  be asking what these two men born 2,000 years apart have in common.  The answer is simple---they both have a servant's heart.

At Christmas this year, Mayor Tom Leppert will be attending the banquet at  the SoupMobile's 6th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas event. Just like we do  every year, the SoupMobile will be taking 500 homeless men and women right off  the streets of Dallas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency  Hotel for Christmas. Yes, I said THE Hyatt Regency. All of our homeless guests  will receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we will hold a huge  banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas  morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box  under some bridge.

Please note that Mayor Leppert isn't coming to the banquet to be served. He  is coming to serve! He will be coming in his Tuxedo and he will be the chief  server at the Homeless Banquet on Friday December 24th from 12:30PM to 2:30PM.  He is coming with a servants heart---just like Jesus would do. Yes, I call him  the Mayor with a heart---a heart for reaching out to the ones Jesus called the  'least of these.'

How about you? Care to roll up your sleeves and serve shoulder to  shoulder with the Mayor this Christmas? Yes come and help us "Feed HIS Sheep."  Come and experience the most magical Christmas of your entire life. Come not to  be served---but to serve!

For more details about volunteering at the SoupMobile's 6th Annual  Celebrate Jesus Christmas event, go to www.soupmobile.org and click on CELEBRATE  JESUS.

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

IF YOU'RE NOT GIVING, YOU'RE NOT LIVING.

2010-11-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

My wife Shana often says, "if you're not giving, you're not living." I believe there is a lot of truth in that statement. This Thanksgiving I was privileged to join a group of 25 loving, passionate, committed volunteers who helped prepare and serve more than 500 Thanksgiving Dinners to the homeless in the Dallas area.

When most people think of Thanksgiving they think of what they are thankful for. Many families have a tradition of everyone at the table telling what they are thankful for before they eat their Thanksgiving meal. I think that's nice but I don't really think that's the true spirit of Thanksgiving. We need only to look at the second part of the word Thanksgiving to get a glimpse into what its all about. Yes, the 'giving' part of the word.

I believe the real spirit of Thanksgiving is giving of ourselves to help others. To take it a step further, I believe the real spirit of life is giving of ourselves to help others. I've lived my life both ways. Back in my younger days Thanksgiving was all about me. My wants, my needs, me--me--me! Looking back it wasn't a very satisfying or fulfilling holiday.In fact life itself wasn't very satisfying when it was all about me.

This year I was blessed to work shoulder to shoulder with those 25 volunteers serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless in the Dallas area, I felt a total sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. What was the difference? We weren't doing it for ourselves, we were doing it for those in need. And the more we gave the more we got. Each meal given to a homeless person was a gift to ourselves. Our hearts were filled with love, tenderness and joy as we served the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' We were 'giving' and oh how wonderfully we were 'living.'

I don't know how you spent your Thanksgiving this year but the day is over and won't be back for 12 long months. So if you missed the 'giving' part of the day, I'm going to give you a second chance at the brass ring. A second chance to experience the same love, same tenderness and same joy that will fill your own heart by 'giving.'

That second chance is Christmas 2010. The SoupMobile will be celebrating its 6th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas event. We will be 'giving' a magical Christmas to the homeless in the Dallas area. Would you like to be part of a 'giving' Christmas! Would you like to help the less fortunate! Would you like for your own heart to be filled with the joy that can only be received by 'giving.' For more details on how to volunteer at the SoupMobile this Christmas, go to www.soupmobile.org and click on CELEBRATE JESUS.

Remember, if you're not giving, you're not living!

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Room at the Inn

2010-10-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Believe it or not, Christmas is just around the corner. I remember as a child that it seemed as if Christmas would never get here. Now as an adult, it seems like Christmas comes faster each year.

If you are homeless, Christmas is nothing special. It’s a day, just like any other day. A day spent trying to find food and shelter. A day without a Christmas tree, no traditional dinner with all the fixings and no warm conversation with your family members by the fireplace. Christmas for a homeless person is typically a day without joy, without love and without hope.

Fortunately there are exceptions to every rule. 2,000 years ago there was no 'Room at the Inn' for baby Jesus. In honor of Jesus and to celebrate his birthday, the SoupMobile makes sure the homeless in Dallas have a magical Christmas every year. This year marks the SoupMobile's 6th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas event. We will be taking 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They will all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we will hold a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning, it will be in a warm, safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box under some bridge.

Would you like to be a part of this magical Christmas? Would you like to step out in faith and help us touch homeless lives this Christmas in a way that you have never done before? Would you like for your own life to be touched in a powerful way. You can't do anything about baby Jesus getting locked out 'of the inn' 2,000 years ago, but you can do something to make sure 500 of HIS sheep have the most magical Christmas of their lives. This is your chance to go beyond your own 'traditional' Christmas and reach deep into the heart of the homeless world. This is your chance to move out of your own comfort zone and help 500 homeless men and women. This is your chance to make a 'real difference' in this world.

For more details on how to VOLUNTEER at our Celebrate Jesus event or to make a DONATION to support the event, simply go to www.soupmobile.org. This much we can promise you. Volunteering at the SoupMobile's 6th Annual Celebrate Jesus Christmas event will NOT be the best volunteer opportunity of the year for you. What it will be is the best volunteer opportunity of your Life. When you see the tears in the eyes of our homeless guests and the smiles on their faces, you heart will be touched in a way it has never been touched before.

May the Lord Bless & Keep you.

p.s. Looking for that perfect Christmas stocking stuffer? The SoupMan’s 2^nd book, “God is NOT on Vacation!” is now out and available exclusively on Amazon.com. Do you believe in miracles? You just might after reading this book, which time and again points to the glory and majesty of the Lord.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

On a Mission from God

2010-09-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

I've been working with the homeless for more than seven years now. I have been privileged to meet and come to know thousands upon thousands of homeless men and women. I have fed them, bandaged their cuts and wounds, become friends with them, laughed with them, cried with them, visited them in jail, sat with them in the large cardboard boxes they call home, watched them fail miserably, and at times watched them succeed beyond anyone's wildest dreams. It's been an amazing journey with no end in sight.

Since the birth of the SoupMobile in 2003 my fabulous SoupTeam has served more than three quarters of a million meals to the homeless right here in the Dallas area. A staggering number to be sure. Those kind of numbers are proof positive of Gods grace and favor on our mission of 'Feeding HIS Sheep.'

As you may know the SoupMobile expanded its feeding operation in 2009 to include sheltering the homeless. We started a venture called SOUPMOBILE VILLAGE. It's a series of group homes located right here in the Dallas area. Each home designed to take a homeless person right off the streets, clean them up, put a roof over their heads and help them become productive members of our community.

Recently we had one of our women graduate from the Village Women's Home. (Let's call her Beth). Beth began her stay in the Women's Home on July 7, 2010. The day she moved in, she told me that if it weren't for the SoupMobile, she would have been sleeping in her car. We took Beth in, fed her, gave her a safe place to stay and most important showed her the love of Jesus.

I'm so very pleased to announce that Beth just moved out of the Women's Home into her own housing. We feel blessed that Beth's stay in the Women's Home gave her the breathing room she needed to get back on her feet. She stayed with us for 60 days---not a lot of time in the real world, but for someone who would have been sleeping in her car---those 60 days were a life saver.

Bottom line: WE are making a difference in the lives of the one Jesus called the 'least of these.' WE aren't just talking about making a difference---we ARE making a difference. And when I say 'WE'---I mean you. Yes, my faithful SoupTeam comprised of staff, supporters, donors, friends, volunteers and prayer warriors. YOU are the true heart and soul of the SoupMobile. YOU are the ones who make it all happen. My grateful thanks to each and every one of you. More important Beth sends her own thanks for helping in her time of need.

Jesus said 'Feed MY Sheep.' At the SoupMobile we believe he meant more than food. We also believe he meant love, caring, compassion and yes---Shelter!!! My thanks to all of you for sharing in my dream of reaching out to the less fortunate in this world. We--together, are truly on a Mission from God.

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Just A Guy!

2010-08-04T07:45:00.001-07:00

Dear SoupFriends:

Greetings from the SoupMan!

As the Executive Director of the SoupMobile I see all the donations that come into the SoupMobile. After all we are a charity and we absolutely rely on donations. We do NOT have a deep pocket donor (YET), nor are we under the umbrella of any church or other organization. Since the birth of the SoupMobile seven years ago I have seen donations come in all sizes, shapes and forms. Financially the smallest donation I ever received was 9 cents from a homeless man. On a higher scale we have been blessed with many donations in the hundreds and some in the thousands. Donations have included food, clothes, toys for homeless children and many other items.

This past Saturday we were blessed by a donation that I call a 'behind the scenes' donation. Mike O'Neal--Owner of Offices to Go donated a entire new office setup to the SoupMobile. I'm not talking about a few desks and chairs. I'm talking about a complete transformation of the front office at the SoupMobile. Mike's team came with cubicles, desks, file cabinets and chairs. When they finished they had taken the hodgepodge that was our old office and transformed it into an beautiful, streamlined and very functional workplace.

You might say, 'what's that got to do with feeding the homeless?' The simple answer is: A LOT!!! Even though we are a charity, we are also a business. In fact because we are a charity our paperwork load is more than normal. We need to satisfy a high standard of financial integrity with both the I.R.S. and our donors. To do that takes a smooth running office and to have that you need a workspace that makes that process go efficiently. A smooth running office sets the table (no pun intended) for a smooth running feeding operation. So did Mike's 'behind the scenes' donation feed anyone directly. Nope, it did not. However it did make a huge impact on our office operation which in turn makes all the difference in our feeding operation.

Lets chat a moment about Mike O'Neal. Simply said, he's 'Just a guy.' A guy that about 3 months ago was volunteering at the SoupMobile and noticed how incredibly un functional our front office space was. A 'guy' that asked us (we didn't ask him) if we would like to have our office redone. A 'guy' who would not accept a penny for either the equipment or the labor. A 'guy' who reluctantly agreed to let me publicize his donation. I had to explain to him that by the SoupMobile being able to publicize donations, it often encourages others to give. Mike got that concept, but he's 'Just a guy' who neither wants nor seeks publicity for his good works. By the way, this was not the first time Mike has blessed the SoupMobile, but that's a story for another day.

Over the last seven years we've had our fair share of 'Just a Guy's' and 'Just a Gal's' making their own special gifts to the SoupMobile. People who share in my dream of reaching out to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Yeah, Mike is 'Just a Guy', but one of many 'guys' and 'gals' who are the real heart and soul of the SoupMobile.

In a world where there seems to be too much hate, too much anger and too much greed, I am blessed to see givers who give in the true spirit of Jesus. The give because they can, because they care, and because they have the love of Jesus in them. I have always said that as Executive Director of the SoupMobile I have the best job on the planet. I 'get' to Feed HIS Sheep and I 'get' to be surrounded by 'guys' and 'gals' who have the most amazing kind and giving spirits. For me it just doesn't get any better than that.

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

The Cracked Pot

2010-07-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the SoupMan!

I'd like to share with you all the Chinese Fable of 'The Cracked Pot.'

A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One pot had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream...

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path..

Every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

So what's the SoupMan's take on this fable? Well to me it sounds a lot like Jesus. HE knows we are all flawed in some way---by the way put me at the top of that flawed list. But even though we are flawed HE still loves us unconditionally. Then HE proceeds to find a way to use our flaws for the greater good. Just like the 'Cracked Pot' helping flowers to bloom, the Lord knows just how to best turn our flaws into blessings.

So the next time you look in the mirror and see your own flaws---just smile and be at peace, because God will surely find a way to make the flowers bloom in your own life. God is pretty amazing, don't you think!!!

May the Lord Bless and Keep You.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Jesus is on the move!

2010-07-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Well once again Jesus is on the move! What can that mean you say? Let me explain. When the SoupMobile was founded in 2003 our primary mission was Feeding the Homeless. In that first year we served 5,000 meals. At the time we thought it was a lot. Now we serve more than 200,000 meals per year. In 2009 we decided to expand our mission and start sheltering the homeless through a venture called SOUPMOBILE VILLAGE. The Village would consist of a series of group homes located all over the Dallas area. Each home specifically designed to take a homeless person right off the streets, clean them up, put a roof over their heads, get them a job and help them get back on their feet as productive members of their community.

For a small charity like the SoupMobile housing the homeless was a huge leap of faith. Yes, we had gotten pretty good at Feeding the Homeless but we knew nothing about sheltering the homeless. To make matters even more dicey we really weren't ready financially to start a housing program for the homeless. But no matter because Jesus was on the move! In the Bible Jesus says,

"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."---Matthew 19:26

So with a lot of prayers and trusting that 'with God all things are possible,' the SoupMobile opened its Men's Home in SoupMobile Village on October 7, 2009. Yes, Jesus was on the move! Then six short months later we opened our Women's Home on April 1, 2010. Once again, Jesus was on the move! I'm pleased to announce that the third home in the Village officially opened on July 9, 2010.

This 3rd home has been designated as a 'Family Home'. The purpose of the Family Home is to take homeless families off the streets, clean them up, put a roof over their heads, get them jobs and help them become productive members of their community.

In nine short months the SoupMobile has opened a Men's Home; a Women's Home; and now a Family Home. An amazing feat for any charity, let alone the baby SoupMobile. So who gets the credit? Well Jesus of course. He said, "Feed MY Sheep," and the SoupMobile is doing just that with food, love, caring, compassion AND shelter. Bottom line---when Jesus gives you a task, he gives you the means to complete that task. He is indeed on the move!

On a personal note I want to thank Roger & Joy Beless and Rick & Linda Graf for making this Family Home a reality. There was no 'Room at the Inn' 2,000 years ago for baby Jesus. With the Lord's guidance and leading we are making sure there is room at the inn for the homeless in the Dallas area. I am grateful to the Beless & Graf families and the entire SoupTeam for your unwavering support of SoupMobile Village. You are the heart and soul of our mission. I am truly privileged to be able to partner with you as we go about our Father's business.

p.s. How about you? Care to be part of the SoupMobile's amazing mission to 'Feed HIS Sheep.' Call or email the SoupMan for more details on how you can join him and his fabulous SoupTeam as we reach out to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.'

Email the SoupMan at: david@soupmobile.org or call him at 1-800-375-5022.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Pennies from Heaven!

2010-06-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Ah, Pennies from Heaven! Sounds like an old movie title. Well in fact it is. It's from 1936 and stars Bing Crosby. Some of you younger folk might not remember Bing, but every year at Christmas you hear one of his most famous songs on the radio---'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.'

However it seems I digress. Back to Pennies from Heaven---2010. Did you know that the SoupMobile has been running a Pennies from Heaven campaign for the past two years. What's that all about you ask?

Well the SoupMan got the Pennies from Heaven idea from a 10 year old boy from Michigan named Andrew. A few years ago Andrew decided to raise money to help his school buy equipment. His goal was to collect ONE MILLION PENNIES--which equals $10,000 and donate the money to his school. It took him #14 months to do it, but do it he did. I was truly inspired when I heard this story. I figured if a 10 year old boy could collect One Million Pennies for a good cause, so could you. So I put out the challenge to groups, churches, schools, organizations and individuals to have their own Pennies from Heaven campaign whereby they would collect pennies and donate them to the SoupMobile so we can buy food for the homeless.

So far over 35 groups/individuals have signed up and started collecting pennies. The top penny collector to date is the Dr. John D. Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas. They collected just over ONE HALF MILLLION PENNIES and donated that money to the SoupMobile to be used to feed the homeless.

So now I can hear you thinking, 'Hey, anybody could collect pennies--even I could do it.' Well the SoupMan couldn't agree more. You can do it and it will be for a good cause. Want to know more about joining the SoupMan in collecting pennies which will be used to feed the homeless. Simply go to www.soupmobile.org and click on PENNIES FROM HEAVEN and read all about it.

p.s. If a 10 year old boy can do it, so can you!!!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director--SoupMobile Inc.

Golfing for Jesus!

2010-06-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Jesus a golfer??? I'm pretty sure that since Jesus walked the earth about 2,000 years ago he probably wasn't a golfer. The game of golf as we know it has only been around for about 100 years. However the SoupMan can't help but wonder if Jesus walked the earth in our modern times just how good a golfer would he be. Could he beat guys like Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus? I'm guessing he could.

More to the point, does Jesus approve of the game of golf? Well there is no way to know for sure because the scriptures never mention the word golf. However the Bible does record many of the words Jesus spoke. Its three of those words that drive me everyday. Three words I think of when I first wake up every morning and three words I think of when I am drifting off to sleep each night. Those #3 words are:

FEED MY SHEEP

At the SoupMobile we think he meant more than just food when he spoke those #3 words. We believe he also meant love, caring, compassion and shelter. In the Bible Jesus does NOT mention golf as a way to Feed HIS Sheep. Is it okay to use golf as a tool to Feed HIS Sheep? Well I sure hope so because the SoupMobile just completed its 1st Annual Golf Outing on Monday June 7th. All proceeds of the outing go towards Feeding & Sheltering the homeless in the Dallas area.

We had golfers from all walks of life play in our tournament. Men, women, students, presidents of major companies, truck drivers, attorneys, singers, good golfers and some not so good golfers. It was a diverse group of people who came and played in the SoupMobile's 1st Annual Golf Outing. Did they have fun? Of course they did. In fact it was mandatory they have fun. After all, if you golf with the SoupMan and don't have fun, its bad for my rep and we just can't be having that.

More important each golfer came with a common goal---Feeding HIS Sheep. My grateful thanks to all the golfers that participated. Thank you for sharing in my dream of helping the ones Jesus called 'the least of these.' Thank you for coming and golfing for Jesus.

So would Jesus approve of a large group of people hitting a little white ball in order to raise funds to Feed HIS Sheep! The SoupMan is thinking YES! Golfing for Jesus! Now that has a nice ring to it.

p.s. Are you feeling left out because you did not play in the SoupMobile's 1st Annual Golf Tournament? Well no worries as you will get a chance in play in our 2nd Annual Golf Tournament next year. And doesn't that sound just like Jesus---always giving us a second chance.

May the Lord Bless & Keep You.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

The Prodigal Daughter Returns!

2010-05-27T13:02:00.001-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Please take a moment and read this story of how God's love and mercy helped redeem one of his own precious daughters---Sandra Davis.

Tuesday--May 25th marked the year end celebration for over 300 Americorps/Vista members in the Dallas/Forth Worth area.

At the Americorps Awards Dinner on Tuesday May 25th, special recognition was given to #7 people. Those seven people were all awarded a beautiful crystal trophy that was given based on their outstanding service to their member agencies. As you may know the SoupMobile has had multiple members in the Americorps program for the last several years.

While all #7 awards given at the dinner were important, the Highest Award given was the: LARRY JAMES SPIRIT OF SERVICE AWARD. This is given in honor of Larry James--Executive Director of Central Dallas Ministries. For many years Larry has been on the front lines in the Dallas area in the war against poverty. This award is only given to one Americorps member each year. It is a special and unique award in that its only given to the best of the best.

I'm proud to announce that our own Sandra Davis (SoupMobile Warehouse Manager) was this years winner of the top award. I was honored to be able to give the speech at the Awards Dinner announcing Sandra as the winner. Keep in mind that Sandra had no idea she would be awarded any of the #7 awards, let alone the top honor. I wish you all could have been there to see the audience reaction as I told Sandra's incredible turn around story and how she came back from a hard life on the streets to becoming one of the key players at the SoupMobile. How with God's help and redemption she is making an incredible difference in the lives of the homeless in the Dallas area. There were both tears and smiles from the audience members as I told how the 'Prodigal Daughter' came back from the abyss into Gods loving embrace.

One of the best perks of being the Executive Director of the SoupMobile is that I get to witness first hand people turning their lives around. No one is a better example of that than Sandra. She has come light years from her days on the streets to becoming a highly respected member of the Dallas community. Sandra is a shining beacon to anyone who wants to turn their life around. As she often says, "If I can do it---so can you."

Sandra, I know that I speak for the entire SoupTeam when I say how very proud we are of you. Some people 'WANT' to make a difference in this world---you 'ARE' making a difference!

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Home Sweet Home!

2010-05-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

Whether you live in a House, Condo or Apartment, its the place that you call 'Home Sweet Home.'

In the Dallas area there are over 10,000 homeless men and women. They don't have a permanent place to call home. They are nomads in search of that thing we call 'Home Sweet Home.'

The SoupMobile started as a 'mobile' soupkitchen in 2003. In that first year we served 5,000 meals and at the time we thought that was a lot. Now we serve more than 200,000 meals per year. In 2009 we decided to expand our feeding operation to now include sheltering the homeless in a venture called: SOUPMOBILE VILLAGE. The Village is a series of group homes specifically designed to take a homeless person right off the streets, put a roof over their heads, clean them up, get them a job and eventually transition them back into regular working members of their community. Its a 'Hand UP' not a 'Hand OUT.'

We opened our first Men's Home on October 7, 2009. We opened our first Women's Home on April 1, 2010. I'm pleased to announce that we have just purchased our 3rd home and its scheduled to open in June 2010. This 3rd home was purchased thanks to the generous support of the Roger & Joy Beless family of Coppell, Texas and the Rick & Linda Graf family of Plano, Texas.

Slowly but surely the SoupMobile is making a dent in the homeless problem in the Dallas area. However I've had a few people say to me, 'Hey SoupMan, don't you get it---there are over 10,000 homeless people in the Dallas area---you can't make a difference.' My humble reply is to tell them the starfish story.

STARFISH STORY

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back they'll die."

"Son", the man said, 'don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said..."I made a difference for that one."

The SoupMobile is passionately committed to following the words of Jesus who said--- 'Feed MY Sheep.' We believe he meant more than just food. We think he also meant love, caring, compassion AND shelter.
So with God's leading we will (ONE STARFISH) at a time, save as many homeless men and women as we can.

How about you? Will you join the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam in saving some Starfish? Will you join the SoupMan in helping some Starfish find their own 'Home Sweet Homes?' You can reach the SoupMan at 1-800-375-5022. He's waiting for your call.

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director--SoupMobile Inc.

Serving Pancakes or Serving Love??

2010-04-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!
This past Saturday the SoupMobile, in partnership with the Highland Park United Methodist Church, the Dallas International Street Church and the Step Forward group, put on a huge pancake lunch for 1,000 homeless men and women in South Dallas.

It was unlike any pancake meal you have ever experienced. The SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam and over 35 dedicated volunteers rolled up their sleeves and cooked thousands of pancakes, scrambled eggs, omelets made to order, tender sausage and fresh orange juice.

Some people might view the Saturday Pancake Lunch and think, 'well nice going SoupPeople---you did really well and fed a lot of people.' Well true enough---we did feed a lot of people. But if you look deeper the question arises? What were we really serving? 2,000 years ago a man named Jesus walked the planet and he told us to "Feed HIS Sheep." What did he mean? Just food? I don't think so. I think Jesus meant wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than food. I think he also meant love, caring, compassion and shelter.

So what were we serving Saturday. Pancakes or Love? The answer is both! Food to feed their bodies and love to feed their souls. Which one was more important? Now that's a question the SoupMan will leave to wiser folk than me. Lets just say that we doled out huge amounts of both food and love.

One thing I know for sure. Its not just enough to serve food to the homeless. Anybody can do that. I believe the Lord expects us to do more than just give them food and then pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves we did great. If we do not also give them love, then I think we have failed miserably.

The homeless are used to being shunned, ignored and pushed aside. A few people out there even think that the homeless are unworthy of love. Thank heavens Jesus didn't think that way. Because if he did NONE of us would be getting love. Jesus loves us all unconditionally---warts and all. We need to pass on the favor to our homeless men and women. We need to love them unconditionally.
So what were we serving Saturday at the Pancake Lunch! Lots of Food AND Lots of Love!. Now that's what Jesus was talking about!!!

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Is the SoupMan Bragging Again???

2010-04-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends:

Greetings from the SoupMan!

God is truly amazing. On Thursday April 1st we celebrated the GRAND OPENING of our Women's Home in SoupMobile Village. (Check out the Friday April 2nd edition of the Dallas Morning News---Page 2B of the Metro Section for news about the Grand Opening). Also click on this link to hear and read coverage by KERA Public Radio:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1631444/North.Texas/Soup.Mobile.Opens.Village.For.Women.

As many of you know we previously opened our Men's Home in October of 2009. Our ultimate goal is to open 100 group homes for the homeless in the Dallas area.These group homes in SoupMobile Village are specifically designed to take a homeless person right off the streets, put a roof over their heads, clean them up, get them a job and eventually transition them back as regular working members of society.

At Thursday's Grand Opening we were blessed to receive major news coverage. What's so important about all the news coverage one might ask? Is it to fatten our hat sizes? Not really! The publicity is crucial for getting the word out about the SoupMobile's Mission of Feeding & Sheltering HIS Sheep. The more people that know about us, the more that can help us.

Here's an example of what I mean. When the SoupMobile Village Men's Home opened in October 2009, the story was featured on the front page of the Dallas Morning News and on local TV. A local couple, Roger & Joy Beless, who had already been looking for a way to help the homeless--saw the coverage and contacted the SoupMan to offer their help. Roger who is the COO of Archon Residential Management Co arranged to have his company match their personal donation and those combined funds paid the full purchase price of the Women's Home.

I want my readers to know that Roger & Joy reluctantly allowed me to use their names. They are not in this for the publicity or for any personal gain. They are supporting the Women's Home & SoupMobile Village because they share in our dream of reaching out to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Their prayer is that others will see what they have done and be inspired to help.

So let the SoupMan do some bragging here. The SoupMobile opened our Men's Home in October 2009. Incredibly six short months later we opened our Women's Home. Pretty amazing don't you think and well worth bragging about. However I'm NOT bragging about the SoupMobile---I'm bragging about God. We serve an awesome God. Only God could pave the way for a little baby charity (only #7 years old) like the SoupMobile to open two group homes in a six month span. Don't you just love bragging about God! I know I do!

Jesus said 'Feed MY Sheep.' At the SoupMobile we believe he meant more than just food. He also meant love, caring, compassion, and YES---Shelter. My prayer is that you would give prayerful consideration to helping me fund the further expansion of SoupMobile Village---just like the Beless' did. Not for personal gain or for instant gratification, or for publicity, but simply because Jesus said 'Feed MY Sheep.'

Will you help me?

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

You can't out Big God!!!

2010-03-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

I believe that whatever talents we have in this life are actually gifts from the Lord. For example a Child Prodigy who can play the piano like Beethoven has received that musical gift from God. He was literally born with it. A star athlete who has amazing physical abilities or a singer with an incredible voice---all gifts from the Lord. I believe its our responsibility to honor those gifts, practice and hone them to benefit God's children.

I've often wondered what my gift (s) from the Lord were. I can't sing, can't play a musical instrument, don't have any amazing athlete abilities, wasn't the best student in school, have trouble keeping up with all the new computer technology and don't really seem to have any special knack.

However it seems one gift that 'I' do have is the ability to Think Big! A God given gift to be sure, but one that I have sharpened and developed over the years. And one thing I have noticed is that no matter how big I think, God thinks bigger---way bigger!

In 2003 'I' thought to create a mobile soupkitchen called the SoupMobile. In that first year of operation we served 5,000 meals. Today (based on God's bigger thinking) we serve more than 200,000 meals per year.

In 2005 'I' thought to create the SoupMobile Christmas Angel Project. In that first year we took 100 homeless people & put them up at the Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. Today (based on God's bigger thinking) we take 500 homeless people to the Hyatt every Christmas.

Over the years all those I's started turning into We's. One by one God sent me an eclectic group of staff members, friends, supporters and volunteers who seemed to carry that same DNA gene for thinking big.

In 2009 'We' thought to open up SoupMobile Village--a group Men's home designed to transition the homeless off the streets. In 2010 (based on God's bigger thinking) we are expanding the Village by opening up a group Women's Home in April 2010.

Now its March 2010 and 'We' are beginning another SoupMobile program. Yes, the 1st Annual SoupMobile Golf Outing. And just like when we started the SoupMobile in 2003; started the Christmas Angel Project in 2005 and started SoupMobile Village in 2009 we are going way out on a limb. For us its always been about new uncharted territory. And throwing a Golf Outing is definitely uncharted territory for the SoupMobile.

But no worries as we serve a God that thinks big and knows just what we need to do to pull it off.

Why a Golf Outing you ask? Simple---to raise funds for the SoupMobile to support our Feeding and Sheltering operation. We have scheduled the date for the golf outing for June 7, 2010. Guess what??? We don't have a golf course lined up; no tournament sponsor; no expertise in running such an event; no deep pocket donors backing our plan, and basically no clue on how to pull this off. What we do have is a God that thinks big and supports the SoupMobile as we reach out to the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.'

The SoupMan needs your help. He's looking for men and women who carry that same DNA gene for thinking big. Those who aren't afraid to take the road less traveled. Those who will venture with us into uncharted territory.

Anyone out there in SoupLand have any ideas, expertise, money, or experience running an event like this? Anyone out there is SoupLand who can help sponsor the event? Anyone out there who wants to play in the event? We have 90 days to put this event together. Not much time for mere mortals---but an eternity for the Lord.

Can you help! Will you help! Will you think big with us and help make this event come together on June 7, 2010!

And remember what its all about. Its not about the golf---although we will have a fun time. Its about 'Feeding HIS Sheep' with food, love, caring, compassion and shelter. Are you with me!

May the Lord Bless & Keep You All.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

There's always a Catch!!!

2010-03-01T06:58:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

In the last 45 days two major earthquakes have occurred on our planet. Both were major news events and our airways have been flooded by pictures, commentary and news anchors reporting live from the devastated areas. For those of us who have never been in an earthquake (that includes myself) its hard to comprehend the utter ruin and catastrophe our fellowman has suffered.

1. January 12, 2010: An earthquake registering 7.3 on the scale occurred in Haiti. Its estimated that there are 250,000 dead and over One Million Homeless. Countries from all over have rushed to aid the Haitians in their time of desperate need. Almost overnight the United States marshaled an incredible array of resources to help our Southern neighbors. Food, medical supplies, clothes, water and volunteers have been sped to Haiti.

2. February 27, 2010: An earthquake registering 8.8 on the scale occurred in Chile. Its too soon to know how many people were killed, but its clear that thousands more became homeless overnight. Once again countries from all over---including the United States, will be sending assistance of every kind imaginable to help a country beset by tragedy.

What's the SoupMan's take on the amazing response to these catastrophes? My initial reaction is that my heart is gratified to see people from every walk of life reaching out to those in need. In a world were there seems to be too much hate, too much anger and not enough goodwill, its wonderful to see Americans and members of the world community rising to the occasion to help those most in need.

However there is a catch. Ah yes, always a catch. And what is that catch you ask? Its simply this---what about the homeless in our own back yard. In the Dallas area alone there are over 10,000 homeless men, women and children. What about them---the forgotten ones? They aren't getting news coverage from all the major networks, TV anchors, and newspapers. And while there are some services for the homeless in Dallas, there is no overnight massive relief effort being sent their way.

Now don't get me wrong. I am totally in support of the efforts to help our neighbors in other lands. I believe all humanity is important and that as a nation we have to reach out to those in need in Haiti and Chile. But I have to come back to that 'catch.' What about the homeless right here under our noses. Why aren't we riding to their rescue. Could it be that its because they are the forgotten ones. Could it be that they have been in our midst so long we take them for granted. Could it be that we have neglected to take care of our own?

So what's the solution you ask? My humble suggestion is that we do both. Help our neighbors in foreign lands and help our neighbors right in our own backyard. Now some might believe that its too difficult to do both. I beg to differ. One of the big campaigns for Haiti was to send a text message donating $10.00 for relief efforts. Thousands responded to that plea. How hard would it be to donate an extra $10.00 to our Dallas homeless. Many people actually got on a plane and went to Haiti to help. How hard would it be for you to get into your car and drive into Dallas to help our own homeless.

Here's the bottom line. You don't have to do a lot. Thousands of people pitching in (even on a small basis) can make a huge difference. In the Dallas area there are more than One Million residents. Many of you helped the Haitians and will also help those in Chile. I'm asking you to also help locally. The SoupMobile is on the front lines when it comes to Feeding, Clothing and Sheltering the homeless in the Dallas area. Come and join the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam as we reach out to the one's right here in Dallas that Jesus called the 'least of these.'

For more details on how you can help, go to www.soupmobile.org and click on VOLUNTEER. With your help there doesn't have to be a 'catch' anymore!

May the Lord bless & keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director--SoupMobile Inc.

Do Something!

2010-02-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan.

Last week the Dallas area was hit by a record snowstorm. Many were calling it the storm of the century for this area of Texas. For Dallasites who rarely (if ever) see snowfall, this was an amazing weather event as more than 12 inches of snowfall rained down.

The Dallas area was literally turned into a winter wonderland. Schools closed, business's shuttered their doors, and people ventured out to play in the snow. Sledding, Snowman's and Snow Ball fights. But for some it wasn't all sugar and spice. Over 200,000 people lost their power. Many for a day or two and some up to five days. For most no power meant no heat. For long days and even longer nights people were huddled in their homes or apartments trying to stay warm. The fortunate ones had fireplaces, but even for them it was no picnic. With the night time temperatures dipping well below freezing it wasn't much fun going night after night with no heat.

Guess what? Even with no heat you are one of the lucky one. I know what you are thinking, 'hey SoupMan---have you gone off the deep end?' How can you call me lucky when I had to live in my house with no heat for days on end? The answer is simple. Imagine thousands of homeless men and women who had to survive the record snowstorm and freezing temperatures with no home whatsoever. Imagine as you sat huddled by your fireplace trying to get warm how you would fare if you were living outside in a cardboard box without any heat.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not making light of the fact that you had to live in your home with no heat for days. In fact I was one of the fortunate ones who did NOT lose his power. But I'm originally from Michigan and over the years we lost our power multiple times during the winter and let me tell you, losing your heat in a Michigan winter is not for the meek.

The point here is this. For those of us who have lost our power at one time or another and had to suffer days in a cold apartment or home, we got a 'small taste' of what the homeless go through on a daily bases every winter. And I think its a good taste. I think its okay to be reminded that homeless people out there are hurting. Good decent people whose lives have taken a turn for the worse. Good people who are suffering. Good people who need help.

So what can you do about it. Well as the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said:

"DO SOMETHING".

What 'something' you ask. Well you can volunteer with a local charity that services the homeless. If you don't have time to volunteer you could make a financial donation to the charity. If you don't have either time or money you could be in prayer for the homeless. Whichever it is---DO SOMETHING!

May the Lord Bless & Keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

She Came to Serve!

2010-02-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

At the December 2009 SoupMobile Christmas Angel Project I was privileged to meet well over 1,000 people. The list was endless. There was Tom Leppert--the Mayor of Dallas; a 'who's who of Dallas society; hundreds of volunteers; 500 homeless guests; TV reporters; Radio commentators; Dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Studio and a whole host of invited attendees.

Good people with good hearts who share in my passion for reaching out to the ones Jesus called 'the least of these.' But there was one young lady who truly touched my heart in a powerful way. Her name was Kelley. I met her at the huge lunch time banquet we throw for the homeless on December 24th in the Hyatt Ballroom. She was there as a volunteer and was working by serving food to our homeless guests. That in itself was nice, but nothing unusual---we had hundreds of volunteer servers. What was unusual was that Kelley was in a wheelchair. I'm not sure what caused her to be in the wheelchair but I could tell by her fragile frame that she was dealing with a serious issue. I was instantly drawn to her. She had an amazing smile and I could see she had a kind heart. She wasn't wasting any time feeling sorry for herself---she came to serve!

During the banquet I asked her if she would be kind enough to allow our picture to be taken together. She graciously said yes. That picture now hangs proudly in my office over my desk. We live in a world where sometimes it seems difficult things happen to good people. Kelley didn't have to be there 'Feeding HIS Sheep.' She could have said 'it's too hard', or 'I'm not strong enough' or 'why doesn't someone serve me.' None of those words or thoughts came from Kelley---she came to serve!

Once the banquet was over I lost track of Kelley. She disappeared into the huge crowd. That should have been the end of the story---it wasn't. Many hours later that evening I was walking the floors of the hotel checking to see if our overnight homeless guests needed anything. Guess who was sitting there at the end of the hallway on the 8th floor serving as floor monitor for our homeless guests. Yes, it was Kelley---fragile, sitting in her wheelchair and that kind smile beaming straight into my heart. She came to serve!

We often refer to our sports personalities as heroes. The quarterback who makes the winning pass in the Super Bowl, the basketball player who makes the shot at the buzzer in the championship game or the baseball player who hits the home run in the bottom of the 9th inning in the World Series. Heroes??? Not for me. I know who my hero is--- a young lady sitting in a wheelchair with a heart of gold. She came to serve!

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

And Then Came Lon!!!

2010-02-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

The SoupMobile started in 2003 on a wing and a lot of prayers. Over the last 6 1/2 years the Lord has sent us some wonderful people to serve on our staff. Each staff person that has come our way has been unique and different in their own special way. Each one bringing their own energy and talents to our mission of 'Feeding HIS Sheep.'

One of those people is a man by the name of Lon Ricker. He started volunteering with the SoupMobile back at the 2007 Christmas Angel Project. Then in June of 2009 he officially joined the SoupMobile staff. We immediately threw him into the deep end of the pool. Lon took on the title and tasks of; Director of Development, Chairman of the SoupMobile Advisory Board, and Chairman of the SoupMobile Christmas Angel Project.

And even though we threw him into the deep end of the pool he bobbed right up and started swimming. He not only brought a wealth of talents and expertise to the job, he brought a work ethic second to none. Most important he brought an amazing passion for reaching out to the ones Jesus called 'the least of these.'

This Blog is not so much about all that Lon has done for us (which is a lot), but more on the journey that God guided him on that brought him to our doors. I'm not going to try to describe that journey in my Blog because a news reporter by the name of Ruth Glover has done it superbly in a recent article about Lon in the EXAMINER PAPER. The Examiner is a major media company doing business in over 100 markets throughout the United States and Canada.

The title of the reporters article is: Software to Soup: a Dramatic Career Change. Its a story you don't want to miss. To read all about Lon's journey from Mr. Software Executive to I'm in the deep end of the pool at the SoupMobile, simple click the following link:

http://www.examiner.com/x-31872-Dallas-Career-Transition-Examiner~y2010m1d26-Software-to-soup-a-dramatic-career-change

p.s. You might find a little bit of yourself in Lon's story. And like Lon you too may find that happiness at the end of the rainbow.

May the Lord Bless and Keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

The American Fallen Soldiers Project

2010-01-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

I have the honor and privilege of telling you about an amazing non-profit agency called: THE AMERICAN FALLEN SOLDIERS PROJECT (AFS). Their mission is to honor, respect and forever remember those who have sacrificed their lives protecting our freedom while serving in our Armed Forces.

We live in a country where we to easily banter about the word 'hero.' Sometimes we even refer to our sports personalities as heroes. I think not! The real heroes are the men and women of the Armed Forces who put their lives on the line for us everyday. Sadly these real heroes are sometimes too quickly forgotten. To make matters worse their grieving families are left to pick up the pieces.

AFS Project provides, at no cost to the families, an exquisitely framed original portrait of their fallen loved one that fully captures their appearance and personality.

By providing this portrait to the grieving families the American Fallen Soldiers Project not only makes a lasting impact on the family but is also provides them a sense of life and the presence of the fallen American hero on canvas. Even more important these portraits provide a lasting testament to those fallen soldiers who have faithfully served our country and paid the ultimate price.

As the SoupMan I am blessed to serve as the Executive Director of the SoupMobile serving the homeless in the Dallas area. As an average American who loves his country, I feel honored to recommend and support The American Fallen Soldiers Project. However I want you to know that I have no vested interest in supporting AFS. I am not on their Board of Directors, or on their payroll or receiving any kinds of benefits/perks whatsoever from them. What I do get by supporting them is a warm feeling in my heart that money just can't buy.

Want to know more about AFS. Well the SoupMan has made it simple for you. Simply go to our website: http://www.soupmobile.org and click on the LINK to the American Fallen Soldiers Project. You to can get that warm feeling in your heart by recognizing and honoring the real heroes of our great country.

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Donations of Warm Weather Items Pour In!!!

2010-01-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends:

Last week during the Arctic cold snap, I put out a Code Blue appeal for winter coats, blankets, clothes, boots, gloves and hats. My grateful thanks for the incredible outpouring of donations that flooded the SoupMobile. You came by with all kinds of warm winter gear and the SoupMobile went on nighttime patrol during the cold snap delivering these items to the homeless living under the bridges, in the woods and behind dumpsters.

In the Dallas area there are over 10,000 homeless people, but only 2,000 shelter beds. Simply math tells us that many homeless people are living outside every night. Your donations helped them through this last cold snap. Your donations make a huge difference. For many of us its hard to comprehend how one could survive living outside in the worst of the winter weather. It's certainly not easy, but with your help you gave them a fighting chance to stay warm and safe.

Some people think the spirit of giving and caring is dying out. You all are living proof that this is not true. I am truly touched and humbled by your generous outpouring during this last cold snap. Thank you for helping me help the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.'

We/you are making a difference.

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Winter Weather Hits the Homeless Hard!!!

2010-01-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Its Thursday Jan 7th at 5:00PM and the temperatures are plummeting, Tonight it's expected to go down below 15 degrees. With the wind blowing the wind chill will be close to zero. To make matters worse the nighttime temperatures are not expected to rise above the freezing point for the next week or so. In the Dallas area there are over 10,000 homeless people, but only 2,000 shelter beds. Simple math tells us there is not enough 'room at the inn.'

This kind of cold is flat out dangerous for our homeless men and women. This is the kind of cold that causes serious illness and sometimes death because of hypothermia . If you are lucky enough to have your own home or apartment you will have to keep the heat systems at full bore just to stay warm. But imagine if you were sleeping outside in a cardboard box under a bridge. No thermostat to turn up and no fireplace to sit around and drink hot chocolate and warm your toes.

During the cold snap the SoupMobile will be on emergency patrol in the Dallas area. We will be out in our van late into the night passing out warm blankets, coats, boots and food. The SoupMan needs your help. We desperately need blankets and coats to help us get through this cold snap and then the rest of the winter.

The City of Dallas has called a Code Blue Alert because of the cold weather. The SoupMobile is calling its own Code Red Alert. Bring your warm weather items to the SoupMobile 3017 Commerce St. Dallas, Texas 75226. Coats, blankets, boots, hats, gloves---whatever you can spare to help keep these precious children of the Lord most high warm. The SoupMobile will make sure your donations get distributed to the ones that need it most---the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.'

If you can't donate any warm weather items, please give prayerful consideration to making a financial donation to the SoupMobile so we can go out and buy more coats, blankets, hats and gloves. To make a donation simply go to http://www.soupmobile.org/ and click on DONATE.

I know that for the next few nights as we pass our coats, blankets and food its going to be miserably cold. However I have the comfort of knowing that when we are finished with our runs I will eventually be crawling into a warm bed with the heater blasting. For thousands of homeless people in the Dallas area, there will be no warm bed or heater to turn up. Only the cold North wind blowing and numbing their hands and feet and cutting them to the bone.

Help me help them. The time to act is now. Don't let another winter day go by without doing something to help.

May the Lord bless and keep you.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

5th Annual Christmas Angel Project---A Spectucular Success!!!

2009-12-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends

The SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project is over and what a fabulous event it was. The SoupMobile took 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They all received new clothes, fabulous gifts, an incredible amount of love and we held a huge banquet in their honor.

Lon Ricker was this year's project Chairman and he says it was an overwhelming success. Over 1500 volunteers came to the downtown Hyatt Regency to help with the event. That's up from 700 in 2008.Those volunteers were led by our own Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert who rolled up his sleeves and helped serve a fabulous meal to our homeless guests at the afternoon banquet.

During the banquet our homeless guests were treated to an amazing show. Dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Studio rocked the ballroom as they preformed to a selection of Micheal Jackson hits. Following the dancers were short speeches given by Mayor Tom Leppert and David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan.

During his speech the SoupMan made a surprise announcement regarding SoupMobile Village. The audience roared in approval as David gave the astounding news. For more details on that announcement go to http://www.soupmobile.org/ and get all the updated news on the Village.

Lon Ricker extends a grateful thanks to all of the supporters who helped with this year's event. He says we received substantial support from the Dallas business community and sends out his special thanks to the 1500 volunteers who came to the Hyatt to assist with the project. Lon went on to say 'that if you helped with this year's event-- just wait until next year as we plan to blow the roof off the place.'

Christmas is over, but remember you can still help us meet our target fundraising goal for this year's event. Simply go to http://www.soupmobile.org/. All donations received by January 31st will count towards the 2009 event.

My grateful thanks to each and every one of you who helped with this year event. Thank you for sharing in my dream of reaching out to the ones
Jesus called the 'least of these.' You made a huge difference in the lives of 500 homeless men and women this Christmas.

May God bless you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director--SoupMobile inc.

Christmas Tidings from the SoupMan

2009-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Christmas Tidings from SoupMan!

There are less than 72 hours before Christmas. As you may know the SoupMobile is taking 500 homelesss men and women right off the street of Dallas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas as part of our 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project.

They will all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas Morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt--- not in some cardboard box under a bridge.

We have been blessed by an outpouring of support for this event. So far over 1200 volunteers have signed up and donations have been steady. However we will still have a ways to go. I am asking you to give prayerful consideration to sponsoring a homeless person's stay at the Hyatt this Christmas. It cost $100 to sponsor one homeless person.

Will you help me help the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Here is what your donation will mean.

When you are sitting down to dinner with your friends and family with all the delicious aromas of the Christmas feast surrounding you, with your help, so will they.

When you are laughing and smiling with your loved ones this Christmas, with your help, so will they.

When you lay your head down at night, full and content from another wonderful Christmas, with your help, so will they.

This will be the SoupMan's last appeal to you in 2009 for help. Some people 'want' to make a difference----you 'can' make a difference. Simply go to http://www.soupmobile.org/ and click on DONATE. I can promise you it will be the best Christmas gift you will ever give and the warm feeling in your heart will be the best Christmas gift you ever get. For those wanting to mail in a donation, make your check or money order payable to the SoupMobile and mail to SoupMobile 3017 Commerce St. Dallas Tx. 75226.

Merry Christmas and may the Lord bless and keep you.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director--SoupMobile Inc.

Countdown to Christmas!!!

2009-12-14T08:37:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Can you believe it! It's 10 days to Christmas. 10 days until we celebrate the SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project. 10 days until the SoupMobile takes 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and puts them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. They will all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we will hold a huge banquet in their honor.

Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box under some bridge.

So far we have over 800 volunteers who have signed up to come and volunteer at the Hyatt this Christmas. Yes EIGHT HUNDRED--with more sign ups pouring in every day. If you have been hanging on the fence trying to decide whether you want to volunteer with the SoupMobile this Christmas at the Hyatt, your time is now. Soon we are going to have to start shutting down the volunteer slots.

Yes come to the Dallas Hyatt Regency this Christmas and join the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam and over 1,000 volunteers for the most magical Christmas you will every experience. Come and join us as we make sure there is 'Room at the Inn' for 500 of the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.'

The SoupMan knows that some people will be out of town this Christmas and others are already committed with other holiday plans. Might I suggest you come in spirit. And please remember that your financial donation can make a huge difference in the life of a homeless person. Whether you donate 'two mites', two dollars, two hundred dollars, two thousand dollars or even more, it will be the best Christmas gift you ever give and the warm feeling in your heart will be the best Christmas gift you ever get.

For more information about volunteering or donating to the event go to: www.soupmobile.org

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director--SoupMobile Inc

Pay It Forward!!!

2009-12-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Greetings from the SoupMan!

The SoupMobile's Mission Statement consists of three simple words spoken by Jesus himself.

Feed MY Sheep

At the SoupMobile we do that very thing. We serve more than 150,000 meals per year to the homeless in the Dallas area. We also distribute clothes to them year around and now we shelter them through our program called:
SOUPMOBILE VILLAGE

Our goal is to open 100 group homes located all over the Dallas area. Each home designed to hold up to five homeless people. Each home designed to transition homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas back into regular working members of society. With the Lord's leading we opened the first group home in SoupMobile Village on October 7, 2009. The Grand Opening made the front page of the Dallas Morning News. You've heard the old adage, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him to fish and you feed him for life.' That's what SoupMobile Village is all about. Literally taking homeless people off the streets and transitioning them back into regular society where they have jobs, families and their own place to live.

At the SoupMobile we feel blessed to have opened this first group home on Oct. 7th. However remember our goal is 100 group homes. Just like the great wall of China that started with one brick, SoupMobile Village has started with one group home. In 2010 we plan to expand the Village with more group homes. That's going to take a pretty penny. Our goal is to raise One Million Dollars to support the SoupMobile and SoupMobile Village.

Mother Teresa said, "At the end of our lives we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in."

Will you help Pay it Forward! I'm NOT making a mass appeal for my donors to send me money. I'm looking for a few key money people out there to help me find the money. One wealthy donor (you know who you are) could easily write us a check for the One Million and the deal is done. Maybe you yourself don't have that kind of money but you know people who do. Or possibly your organization already supports multiple charities and you would consider making the SoupMobile one of your beneficiaries.

You may be wondering if I help 'what's in it for me.' Will I get my name on a building---NO. My name up in lights--NO. My name on the front page of the Dallas Morning News--NO. You will get none of those 'material' things. What you will get is what we all seek to hear some day from the Lord, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Are you with me. If so call the SoupMan at 1-800-375-5022 or email me at: david@soupmobile.org

Together we can rock this world for Jesus.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc

Angels in Disguise!

2009-11-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Do you believe in Angels? I do!

Since I started the SoupMobile back in 2003 I have been blessed to meet many earth Angels. These Angels are men and women who have kind hearts and giving spirits. Angels who care about helping the ones Jesus called, 'the least of these.' Angels who back up their caring with concrete action.

This week I want to tell you about a special group of Angels. They own and run a local Dallas web company called WorryFreeDesign (WFD). Their names are Diana, Budi and Suyadi. Three earthly Angels who are a blessing not only to the SoupMobile but to their fellowman.

About 18 months ago they approached me and asked if we needed help with the SoupMobile web site. I told them we did and that I had been praying for someone to come in and revamp and maintain our web site. When I asked them what the charge would be for their services they responded by saying, 'We believe in what you are doing to help the homeless and any services we provide to you will be at no charge.' They have been true to their word and have made the SoupMobile web site a sight to behold. Want proof? Simply go to http://www.soupmobile.org/ and see what a fabulous job they have done.

WorryFreeDesign does more than just website design. They also do web hosting, internet marketing, domain name registration, programming & support and logo design. Do you need web help? Well look no further. WFD does it all. Diana, Budi and Suyadi aren't just top notch professionals running one of the top web firms in the country, but they truly have hearts of gold.

Of course if you hire WFD they won't be working for free like they do for the SoupMobile, but they will give you a price that is not only fair but extremely competitive. You can contact them and check out their web site at:
http://www.worryfreedesign.com/

Tell them the SoupMan sent you!

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc

Mayor Tom Leppert to Attend SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project

2009-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

The SoupMan is pleased to announce that Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert will be attending the SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project this year. The SoupMan and his Fabulous SoupTeam will be taking 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. Yes THE Hyatt Regency. All of our guests will receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and we will hold a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box under some bridge.

Please note that they Mayor will not just be attending as a spectator. He will be one of our FAB 50 Maitre'D servers. Yes you heard it right. We have a Mayor who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and serve the ones Jesus called the least of these. Here are some more details about the FAB 50.

The Fab 50—Maitre'D's
December 24th 12:30PM to 2:30PM
Marsalis Ballroom—Hyatt Regency

Jesus humbly served those in need. He even washed their feet. The SoupMan is offering 50 men and women the privilege of serving as Maitre'D's for the Homeless Banquet at the Soupmobiles 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project. There will be 50 tables set up in the Marsalis Ballroom with ten homeless guests at each table. As Maitre'D's you will be responsible for your special table. You will be expected to greet your 10 homeless guests, take their food orders, serve their food and make them feel like Kings & Queens. Assisting you will be a support staff of runners and servers. Unlike regular banquets where you are the guest of honor and you eat the fancy food, at our banquet you will not get anything to eat and you will be the one doing the serving---just like Jesus.

The SoupMan invites you to come and join with the Mayor as he serves our homeless men and women. It will be the best Christmas gift you will ever give and when you see the smiles on the faces of the homeless and the tears in their eyes---it will be the best Christmas gift you ever receive.

This will be a formal dress experience. All male Maitre'D's will wear Tuxedos and all female Maitre'D's will wear their best formal gowns.

The cost to you for the honor and privilege of serving as Maitre'D's is a $1,000 donation to the SoupMobile. This volunteer opportunity is limited to the first 50 sign ups. Like Jesus, you will spend this Christmas serving the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.'
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For more details about the SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project and how you can be a part of this fabulous event, go to: http://www.soupmobile.org/

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

Christmas Angel Project---We Have Lift Off!!!

2009-11-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

Dear SoupFriends,

I'm pleased to announce that the Christmas Angel Project link on our website went live on Nov. 1st. Christmas is only eight weeks away and this is your chance to sign up to volunteer for a magical event.

It's the SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project. The SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam are taking 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and putting them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel for Christmas. Yes---THE HYATT REGENCY!

2,000 years ago there was NO room at the inn for the one we call baby Jesus. With your help we will make sure there is room at the inn for 500 of the ones Jesus called the 'least of these.' Our homeless guests will all receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, lots of love and a huge banquet in their honor. Most important is that when they wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a warm safe bed at the Hyatt---not in a cardboard box under some bridge.

Last year we had over 700 volunteers sign up and come to the Hyatt to help with the event. This year we estimate there will be over 1,000 volunteers. Its first come first serve and we will close off the volunteer slots as they fill up. The SoupMan makes this promise to you. If you come and volunteer at the Hyatt this Christmas it will be the best Christmas gift you ever give, and when you see the smiles on the faces of the homeless and the tears in their eyes, it will be the best Christmas gift you will ever receive.

Come to the Hyatt this Christmas. Join with the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam and over 1,000 volunteers for a magical Christmas. For more details go to our website: www.soupmobile.org

May the Lord bless you all.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

SoupMobile Village-----Updated Developments

2009-10-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends

As you all know SoupMobile Village opened its doors on October 7, 2009 and moved in its first resident—Mackie Choice. He has been homeless and living under a bridge in a cardboard box for the past 15 years. He had lived under the bridge so long that he came to be known as the Mayor of Boxville.

On April 1, 2009 Mack was hired as an Assistant Warehouse Manager at the SoupMobile. His salary was generously sponsored by one of the SoupMobile’s faithful supporters---Betsy & Rusty Kennard. Then on October 7th Mack moved into his new home in the Village and became the Honorary Mayor of SoupMobile Village.

You may well imagine that after 15 years of being homeless that Mack’s teeth were not in very good shape. Cynthia Izaguirre of Channel 8 news had asked Mack what his wish was for this Christmas. Mack said he wanted a new set of teeth so he could smile again without being embarrassed. Cynthia put out an appeal for a dentist to help Mack on a pro bono basis. Several calls came in and one of the Dallas area’s top dental offices agreed to give Mack the Christmas gift he wished for.

My special thanks to Lee Fitzgerald, D.D.S, F.A.G.D, F.I.C.O.I, Associate Fellow American Academy of Implant Dentistry—Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry for agreeing to give Mack his Christmas wish. Dr. Fitzgerald’s office is known for its quality work and attention to detail as its serves the residents of the greater Dallas area. Thank you to Dr. Fitzgerald and his amazing staff for making a difference.

p.s. More breaking news on SoupMobile Village. Our second resident, a gentleman by the name of James---who has been homeless for the past 4 years will be moving into the Village on Friday Oct. 23rd. Through our extensive network of supporters the SoupMobile has already secured a job interview for James at one of the leading companies in the Dallas area. More details on that in a later blog.

Finally my grateful thanks to all of my friends, supporters, and prayer warriors who support the work of the SoupMobile. Jesus said “Feed MY Sheep.” Thank you for helping me do just that!

God bless you all,

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

SoupMobile Village----The Dream has become a Reality !

2009-10-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends:

As you may know the grand opening of SoupMobile Village took place last Wednesday October 7, 2009. Imagine if you will, One Hundred group homes located all over the Dallas area. Each home designed to bring the homeless off the streets of Dallas and transition them back into regular society. Well imagine no more. Our first group home opened for business last week and we have set off on the journey of a lifetime.

At the Grand Opening we moved in our first resident, Mr. Mackie Choice. He had been homeless for more than 15 years living in a cardboard box under the I45 Expressway in South Dallas. Now Mack is gainfully employed, sleeps in a warm safe bed and begins his own journey toward a better life.

We are currently processing additional candidates for slots in the village. Our goal is to start moving in additional homeless men by the end of October.

The response to the opening of SoupMobile Village has been overwhelmingly positive. We have been amazed by the outpouring of calls, letters and emails in support of our new venture. Jesus said "Feed MY Sheep." At the SoupMobile we think that means more than just food. We also believe it means clothing, compassion, caring, love and yes--Shelter. We are also keenly aware that God sent Jesus to save the world, NOT the SoupMobile. But as his hands and feet here on this earth we believe we can make a difference. How many homeless can we help and how big a difference can we make? There is no telling for sure, but I like to think of the StarFish story. (Read below).

STARFISH STORY

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

Please accept my grateful thanks for sharing in our dream of reaching out to the one's in our community that Jesus called, "the least of these." Thank you for your kind words, your support and most important your prayers.

Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

The Dream has become a Reality!!!

2009-10-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends:

I have amazing news for you. The SoupMobile has decided to expand its feeding operation to include sheltering the homeless. In the Dallas area there are more than 10,000 homeless people but only 2,000 shelter beds. Simple math tells us that there is not enough ‘room at the inn.’

This new venture will be called SOUPMOBILE VILLAGE. Imagine if you will, 100 group homes located all over the Dallas area. Each home designed to take homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas. Well imagine no more---The Dream has become a Reality!

SoupMobile Village is now operational. I’m pleased to announce the opening of the SoupMobile’s first group home. All residents of SoupMobile Village will be expected to get jobs and participate in the maintenance and upkeep of the home. Our plan is that our residents will become working members of society who work and pay taxes just like you and I do. No freeloading like in regular shelters where they just give you a bed for the night and kick you out the next day. Each of our residents will be expected to carry their own weight. SoupMobile Village is giving a ‘Hand Up’, not a ‘Hand Out.’

I need your help to make this 1st phase of SoupMobile Village a success. Just like when we started the SoupMobile feeding operation back in 2003, we are starting SoupMobile Village on a wing and a lot of prayers. Once again we are way out on a limb.

I think you should know that we have had a few people tell us not to expand our feeding operation to include sheltering the homeless. They have said things like, ‘it’s too risky---you might fail---don’t take any chances---let someone else worry about sheltering them." My humble response to those naysayers is three words spoken by Jesus himself.

Jesus said, “Feed MY Sheep.” At the SoupMobile we think this means more than just food. We think it also means clothing, compassion, love and yes---shelter.

So imagine if you will---The SoupMan sitting way out on a limb. It’s cold, dark and windy. First out on that limb with the SoupMan is the one we call Jesus. He puts his arm around me and beckons to you to come out and join us.

I am not asking for your help to prove the naysayers wrong. I am asking for your help to prove Jesus right. Frankly I need your help now. Our first residents have already moved into SoupMobile Village and the clock is ticking on our expenses. In the Bible Jesus talked about the widow who gave ‘two mites.’ He praised her for giving out of her poverty. I am asking you to give prayerful consideration to helping me with an offering to help fund SoupMobile Village. And whether you give two mites, two dollars, two hundred dollars, two thousand dollars or even more , it will all be used to shelter the ones that Jesus called ‘the least of these.’ I am asking you to give something and I am asking that you do it now. No amount is too small and no amount too large. Thank you and God bless you all.

Sincerely,

David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Executive Director---SoupMobile Inc.

New Partnership with Jus-Made

2009-09-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Soup Friends,

The SoupMan is pleased to announce an amazing new partnership with Jus-Made; a Texas limited company that began over 60 years ago. Jus-Made produces a wide array of beverage items for the food service and retail industry in their 80,000 square foot facility

Jus-Made is now the “Official Drink Provider” for the SoupMobile and will be donating a wide assortment of nutritious and delicious drinks for our homeless men and women.
Please read the press release below that Jus-Made recently distributed announcing the partnership.

God bless you all.

David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Dallas-Based Beverage Manufacturer, Jus-Made, LP, Partners with
The SoupMobile in Support of its Community Outreach Programs

September 24, 2009, DALLAS, TEXAS – Today, Jus-Made, LP, a beverage manufacturing company based in Dallas, announced its recent partnership with another local Dallas organization, The SoupMobile. Jus-Made, LP, will be donating beverages to The SoupMobile’s outreach program to feed the homeless.

At the forefront of the beverage-manufacturing sector for the last 54 years, Jus-made, LP, is currently teaming up with The SoupMobile to become their first official beverage partner. According to Director of Development Lon Ricker, providing beverages for the homeless is The SoupMobile’s biggest expense. For its part, Jus-made will shoulder the responsibility for donating lemonades and isotonic beverages to those in need. “We are incredibly grateful for Jus-Made’s support, especially in this difficult economic time, where our limited resources are being met with a growing demand for our services,” says Ricker.

“The SoupMobile does it right and served thousands and thousands of meals last year without a bureaucracy. For each meal to have something just as good to drink with it is what we want to happen. We’re excited to give back to our very own community,” says John Hampton, President of Jus-Made, LP. “Jus-Made hopes that the SoupMobile can put its funds to work in other areas. It will be touching to see what kind of a boost this gives to the SoupMobile and the wonderful people associated with it who work so hard and smart to alleviate human suffering right down the street from our plant.”

About The SoupMobile

In 2003, David Timothy, a.k.a The SoupMan founded the SoupMobile, a local non-profit, and “mobile” soup kitchen. This year alone, The SoupMobile will serve more than 150,000 meals to homeless in the Dallas community. Its mission is to provide food, clothing and shelter to those who need it most.

http://www.soupmobile.org/

About Jus-Made

Jus-Made, LP has manufactured a wide variety of products in the beverage sector for the last 54 years. The company was originally founded by Lamar Dial, one of the creators of Orange Julius as well as a member of the development team that eventually created the 7-Eleven Slurpee©. The company has received an “A” rating from the BRC certifying body for the Global Food Safety Initiative and its facility in Dallas includes modern beverage processing equipment, efficient pasteurizing processes, large blending tanks, and effective production measures also certified under HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points System). Jus-Made’s products can be found throughout the United States in grocery stores, wholesale clubs, convenience stores, restaurants and bars.

http://www.jus-made.com/

Contact:
Mark Rudkin
Vice President, Marketing
mrudkin@jus-made.com
972-241-5544

2009-09-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger!!

Dear SoupFriends,

The SoupMan is pleased to have a guest blogger on his blog this week. Let me introduce Wendy Leth-Steensen. She is a freelance writer located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has a passion for helping others. Please enjoy her writing and look for the SoupMan to be back on line next week.

FEEDING THE HOMELESS ONE LUNCH AT A TIME

Have you ever made 1,000 sandwiches in one sitting? It's easy! Take about 45 volunteers, put them all in a room, and add lots and lots of bread, cheese and meat. Two hours later, you'll have enough food prepared to feed lunch to the hungry and homeless for a week, not to mention a satisfied feeling that you gave back to your community.

On Saturday mornings throughout the year, eager volunteers from Random Acts of Kindness (http://meetup.com/randomacts/) (RAK) gather at the eXcuses eXtreme cafe' (http://www.excusesdeepellum.com/) in Deep Ellum in Dallas. General Manager of the cafe', Barbara Martinez, not only provides the long tables for food prep assembly lines, but also coffee and ice tea for everyone. The venue also becomes a popular place to stay afterwards and chat with new friends over a mid-day meal.

"It's a great way to meet new people, and it is also for a good cause", says Al McCraw, assistant organizer for RAK. "The SoupMobile was among the first organizations RAK became affiliated with. When I met David Timothy of the SoupMobile, I was so touched by his story that I wanted to help. Another RAK volunteer, Robin Nichols, was already doing the sandwich-making parties, and I was organizing events in Deep Ellum that benefited the SoupMobile as well as Deep Ellum merchants and local artists. I still do these benefits but also take Robin's lead and do sandwich-making events for RAK."

According to the SoupMobile, there are more 10,000 hungry and homeless people in Dallas. What can you do to help out? Here are three things:
1) Give a few hours on a Saturday morning to prepare sandwiches
2)Provide a donation of bread, cheese, bologna, mustard, plastic gloves and/or Ziploc bags
3) Have a willingness to help better the lives of the disadvantaged in our community

If this sounds like something you want to do, log on to RAK on Meetup.com (http://www.meetup.com/randomacts/) and sign up to make a difference!

About Random Acts of Kindness

Random Acts of Kindness (http://www.meetup.com/randomacts/) is a non-profit group organized via the online social networking portal Meetup.com. Currently, it has over 1,800 members. Volunteers come from all walks of life in terms of ethnicity, age, profession and religion. Upcoming events include serving meals at the Salvation Army, participating in senior day at Ashford Hall , helping a soldier phone home, and cleaning up White Rock Lake and the Cottonbelt Trail.

About the SoupMobile

The SoupMobile(http://www.soupmobile.org/) is a non-profit mobile soup kitchen feeding, clothing and caring for the needy and homeless in the Dallas area. It is based out of Deep Ellum and serves around 600 meals a day Monday through Friday. In 2009 the SoupMobile will serve up to 150,000 meals.

Wendy Leth-Steensen, freelance writer located in Dallas-FortWorth area

CHEF GENE!!!

2009-09-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends

The SoupMobile serves 150,000 hot, healthy, nutritious meals every year to the homeless in the Dallas area.

Yes, that's an amazing number of meals and its all because of an amazing man we affectionately call Chef Gene. He is the Head Chef at the SoupMobile and is directly responsible for making sure thousands and thousands of homeless men and women get the food they literally need to survive.

Chef Gene isn't just a great cook. He is a wonderful man with a kind spirit and a passion for reaching out to the 'least of these' in our community. He believes in the words of Jesus who said, "Feed MY Sheep'.

Every weekday volunteers (known as Assistant Chefs) lend a hand to Chef Gene (who is also a volunteer) as he prepares the hot and hearty meals for the homeless. As they begin to prepare the meals each day, Chef Gene reminds his assistants to put the 'secret' ingredient into the food. Of course that 'secret' ingredient is LOVE!

Chef Gene was recently featured in a full length article on the front page of the Dallas Morning News on August 29, 2009.
Click on this link to read that story: http://tinyurl.com/mx6qsp

p.s. I know you may be thinking. 'I want to help Chef Gene feed the homeless.' Well there are two main ways you can help. One is you can actually volunteer in the kitchen with Chef Gene as an Assistant Chef--no experience required as Chef Gene will tell you exactly what you need to do.

Second you can help Chef Gene by helping him buy the food he needs. Each meal he cooks costs an average of $1.00. So whether you donate One Dollar or One Million Dollars or anywhere in between, you will be helping Chef Gene 'Feed HIS Sheep'.
Click on this link to find out more about helping: http://www.soupmobile.org/

p.p.s. Well I've got to go. My nose detects some wonderful cooking smells from Chef Gene's kitchen and I'm going to head in there and see if he might give me a sample.

God Bless you all.

David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN!!!! (PFH)

2009-08-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ah, Pennies from Heaven! Sounds like an old movie title. Well in fact it is. It's from 1936 and stars Bing Crosby. Some of you younger folk might not remember Bing, but every year at Christmas you hear one of his most famous songs on the radio---'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas.'

However it seems I digress. Back to Pennies from Heaven---2009. Did you know that the SoupMobile has been running a (PFH) campaign for the past year. What's that all about you ask?

Well the SoupMan got the Pennies from Heaven idea from a 10 year old boy from Michigan named Andrew. A few years ago Andrew decided to raise money to help his school buy equipment. His goal was to collect ONE MILLION PENNIES--which equals $10,000 and donate the money to his school. It took him #14 months to do it, but do it he did. I was truly inspired when I heard this story. I figured if a 10 year old boy could collect One Million Pennies for a good cause, so could you. So I put out the challenge to groups, churches, schools, organizations and individuals to have their own Pennies from Heaven campaign whereby they would collect pennies and donate them to the SoupMobile so we could buy food for the homeless.

So far over 20 groups/individuals have signed up and started collecting pennies. The top penny collector to date is the John D. Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas. They collected just over ONE HALF MILLLION PENNIES and donated that money to the SoupMobile to be used to feed the homeless. As we speak they are still collecting more pennies.

So now I can hear you thinking, 'Hey, anybody could collect pennies--even I could do it.' Well the SoupMan couldn't agree more. You can do it and it will be for a good cause. Want to know more about joining the SoupMan in collecting pennies which will be used to feed the homeless. Simply go to www.soupmobile.org and click on PENNIES FROM HEAVEN and read all about it.

Guess what!!! If a 10 year old boy can do it, so can you!!!

God bless you all,

David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

Christmas in August???

2009-08-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends,

Here in Dallas in the heart of SoupMobile land its August. Temperatures are hovering around 100 degrees every day. In a word it's hot! So who's thinking about Christmas???

Well actually the SoupMan and his fabulous SoupTeam are thinking about Christmas. Planning is in full swing for the SoupMobile's 5th Annual Christmas Angel Project which will take place Dec. 24th & 25th, 2009.

This Christmas the SoupMobile will take 500 homeless men and women right off the streets of Dallas and put them up at the downtown Dallas Hyatt Regency Hotel. Yes, THE Hyatt Regency. All of our homeless friends will receive new clothes, fabulous gifts, great food, lots of love and a huge banquet in their honor. And when they wake up on Christmas morning it will be in a safe warm bed at the Hyatt---not in some cardboard box under a bridge.

Planning to house and entertain 500 homeless men and women for Christmas is an enormous task. Fortunately for the SoupMobile we have just the right people in place to run our Christmas Angel Project this year. The Chairman of this years event is the SoupMobile's Director of Development--Lon Ricker. Assisting Lon is our very own ace Volunteer Coordinator--Linda Graf. Two dynamic people with a passion for helping the homeless. Our grateful thanks to Lon and Linda for their faithful service.

Last year in 2008 we had over 700 volunteers come down to the Hyatt and volunteer to help us with the event. This year we estimate over 1,000 volunteers will attempt to sign up. I know what you are thinking. "I want to be part of this years event." Well, no worries as we would love to have you, but remember its first come first serve. Every year we have to shut down the volunteer slots in December. So if you want to volunteer be sure to sign up early. How and when can you sign up? The magic date is November 1st, 2009. On that date simply go to www.soupmobile.org and click on CHRISTMAS ANGEL PROJECT and you can sign up right on line.

Volunteering at the Christmas Angel Project will be the best Christmas gift you ever give. And when you see the smiles on the faces of our homeless friends and the tears in their eyes, it will be the best Christmas gift you ever receive.

God bless you all.

David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

2009-08-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

SoupMobile is a Dignitary for the Nation!!

The SoupMobile has just received a huge honor as a host to U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). We are so humbled that the IVLP has chosen the SoupMobile to sponsor their international volunteers while they are visiting the United States.

As a little background, the IVLP is designed to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through carefully designed visits that reflect the participants' professional interests and support U.S. foreign policy goals. That’s right! The SoupMobile is a direct reflection what America is about, serve before self.

The SoupMobile is very excited to welcome our visitors to the United States that will be coming from the countries of Columbia and Morocco.

The SoupMan is joined by Jhoana Moreno (Columbia), and Najwa Laassekri (Moracco)

Tezita Getadrew from IVLP and International Volunteers preparing snacks for the homeless.

JUST LIKE I PROMISED!!

2009-07-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for the news story this morning. Beautifully done!!!

http://www.wfaa.com/video/featured-index.html?nvid=384090

Beat the Heat!!

2009-07-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Dear SoupFriends:

Greetings from the SoupMan. Well its certainly been a hot summer here in Dallas.

Recently tempertatures have hovered around 100 degrees. For most of us high tempertatures are no big deal. We travel in our air conditioned cars to our air conditioned offices and then to our air conditioned homes. For most of us the 'heat' is more of a talking point than a real concern.

If you are homeless its a whole nother ballgame. NO car with AC, NO office with AC and NO home with AC. Its just a long hot summer with no relief in sight. To make matters worse the homeless do not have access to water like you and I do. They can't afford to buy bottled water and drinking fountains in Dallas are few and far between.

Now you may be saying, well why don't they simply go into an office building or fast food place to get some water. Ah, well there is the rub. The homeless are not welcome in many of those places. Places that you are I can freely enter are not accessable to the homeless. Unfair you say! Unconscionable you say! Unbelieveable you say! You are right on all counts.

So SoupMan---that's the end of the story, right??? There is really nothing I can do about this problem, right??? I'm only one person and I can't really make a difference, right??? Well Grasshopper, that's a NO on all counts. Guess what, you can help get water to the homeless and its really easy. Just stop by your local store and pick up a case of water. It will cost you less than $4.00. Drop the water off at SoupMobile Headquarters and we will distribute to the homeless for you.

I know what you are thinking. "Gee SoupMan, could you make it any easier for us to help." Well actually I can. If you don't have the time to go and buy the water and drop it off, simply go to our website, www.soupmobile.org and click on DONATIONS and donate the $4.00 online and my SoupTeam will go and buy the water for you. Now that's what I'm talking about!!!

P.S. Great News! The SoupMobile will be on TV. Tune into Dallas WFAA Channel 8 on Tuesday July 28th and watch the DAYBREAK SHOW. The SoupMobile will be featured in the OUR NEIGHBOR segment between 6:30AM and 7:00AM CST. No worries if you miss it because we will put the link to the story on the SoupMan's blog.

May the Lord bless and keep you all.

David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan

SoupMobile Worldwide!

2009-06-22T11:57:00.001-07:00

Recently I received an email from a lady in Australia. She found the SoupMobile online and read my book "Is God on Vacation?" This inspired her to set up her own soup kitchen down under! I invite you to share in her story.

Hey Mr. SoupMan.

Just wanted to say thank you again for your book, it has filled me with inspiration and God has been blessing my adventure abundantly! I finished your book last week and have wanted to email, but have been busy, finally have the time!! I was so excited to read the chapter about Chef Gene, especially the part about his special ingredient - LOVE – I knew what it was before I even read it and that made me feel so excited, as when you know in your heart how things are meant to be, you just know that its GOD!! So please, thank Chef Gene for me, his story has inspired me and I know that this is the calling God has for me!! Thank you!

And another exciting thing I wanted to share with you was our logo which you have not seen yet and I suppose I had thought that there was no need until I read Chef Genes story!!

God is so Good!!

Another exciting answer to prayer is that God so kindly sat me next to the co-coordinator of Homeless people in Port Pirie, at a netball game (my daughter was playing!), and she asked me to pass on our information etc... And she will send her clients our way!!! So we are EXPECTING greater numbers very soon!

After finishing your book, I really feel that a mobile SoupVan is what my future will hold!! It’s great to have started, but I know in my heart God needs me to take bigger steps - IN HIS TIME!!! I passed your book onto my Pastor to read, he read it in 2 days, and enjoyed it very much, it is being passed onto other keen readers! Also the Christian bookshop in Port Pirie is going to purchase it, to put in their shop!!

God is so GREAT!!! Give Gods richest blessings to all your wonderful volunteers and please if you can share my story with one of God’s Sheep you are able to feed that would be such a blessing!!
SPREAD HOPE!!

Thank you, for your support and encouragement - God bless your SoupGirl and YOU!!

Steve and Paula Betzold