January 19. 2026, marked the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Bread of Life Ministries located at 405 E. Main in Madill.
For those who may not be familiar, Bread of Life Ministries is an outreach ministry ofFirstBaptistChurchofMadill. While the organization works under the umbrella of FBC, the Bread of Life Ministries has reached out to other churches, businesses and civic organizations to assist in the big job of assisting the food insecure in Marshall County.
The current mission of the ministry is to provide a bag of groceries every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to any household of Marshall County who registers and whose income meets the requirements established by the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Along with providing groceries, theministryalsoprovides a witness of the love of God for the community.
The organization has people to offer prayer when an opportunity arises and devotionals through handouts in the grocery sacks and on the Facebook page.
More than 20 years ago, God put it on the heart of several individuals who saw the need in Marshall County for assistance for the residents who are food insecure and the process of organizing the Bread of Life Ministries began. The ministry plan at that time was to provide meals to the community several times a week. Soon after the meals began, a grocery bag ministry joined up and addedtheconceptofagrocery bag for each household.
Uponresearchingwhether there was a need for food assistance in Marshall County, the Regional Food Bank reported in 2013 that 13.5 % of Marshall County residents strugglewithhunger. Amore recent 2023 census reported that of the Marshall County population of 15,312, 16.5% were living below the poverty level. Of this, 20% were children under the age of 18 and 14.8% were adults over the age of 64. The problem of food insecurity has been and still is very real.
Ray Morse, one of the original organizers, said the organization is more than food assistance.
“The Bread of Life is about a hand up, not a handout,” Morse said. “Many years ago, when my family and I were struggling to get on our feet, there were two different occasions when I was given a handup. Sincethattime,God has blessed us abundantly so that we felt we needed to give back, or ‘pay it forward,’ as they say today.”
“Romans 12:6 says, ‘We have different gifts according to the grace given us,’” Morse continued. “If a man’s gift is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously. If it is showing mercy let him do it cheerfully.”
Sue Cherry, another original organizer, said she wanted to be part of a blessing.
“I believe we must love and care for one another,” Cherry said. “ I especially feel concerned about how hunger impacts children and the elderly. As the Bread of Life Ministry was being organized, and I saw people striving to see how best to serve the people of Marshall County, I wanted to be a part of that blessing. I am so blessedbythepeopleweserve and by those who volunteer to serve with us.”
There were many reasons to start the ministry, but there were also many obstacles to overcome. Prayer was the key, as God had to provide the answers.
The first prayer was answered during the search for a location. The Senior Nutrition Center had just moved to its new location at the Fred Stanley complex, and the Marshall County Commissioners were deciding what to do with the old location when they were contacted by the BOL organizers.
The commissioners got on board and agreed to allow the Bread of Life to occupy that building with a rental fee of $1 per year. While the lease is year to year, throughout the past 20 years the commissioners continue to support the ministry.
The next obstacle was volunteers. The Bread of Life organizers recognized that this was a project that should cross denominational lines and should include businesses and civic organizations.
In the beginning and for the first fourteen years, the Bread of Life provided meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Grocery bags were given out once a week.
Many of the community churches and organizations got on board with teams of volunteers to help with the preparation, serving and clean up after the meals. Pastors and lay people of the community were invited to provide a devotional presentation at the beginning of each meal.
God provided and blessed the ministry with so many people who became an integral part of the Bread of Life ministry that it is overwhelming and it would be impossible to name them all.
Over the years, many have gone on to be with the Lord and are greatly missed. Those who remain know who they are. Through the years, as needs arose, the Lord has provided the organization with everything needed to keep things going.
When the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, the BOLwasforcedtoclose.After talking over the possibilities, it was decided that it was best to discontinue the dinners and concentrate on providing grocery bags weekly.
Just in 2025, the organization has given out 5690 bags of groceries which benefited 12058 individuals. Included in those numbers are 2276 children under the age of 18 and 3981 senior adults over the age of 60.