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![Thomas Hardy, left, and Albert Beckman, the senior pastor at River of Grace, which has a church and homeless mission in downton Tampa, at 2801 Tampa Street. "Grace Grillers," he said, "is an outreach of our church, to get out there in the public."
Beckman noted that day jobs are "drying up for the homeless" in today's economic times. "How bad will it get? It will increase several hundred times over," he said of the tough times ahead. "One hundred percent, 200 percent, it will certainly increase in a drastic way simply because more people, less jobs and not enough money to go around."
Back at Tampa Street, "we house 43 guys," Beckman said. "They check in every night. Our goal is just to get them back on their own, get them out on day labor, get them into full-time jobs." About 10 spots, Beckman said, are reserved for men admitted to the 120-day drug and alcohol program. As for the nondenominational church, Beckman said, "we have four services a week and people stay for the meals afterwards."
The Grace Grillers worked with Footsoldier Ministries "to cook for them once a month when they fed the homeless downtown [underneath the bridge at Adamo Road and 22nd Street]."](http://www.mypapernow.com/Other/Footsoldier-Ministries-Serves/i-6MtPJ9c/0/Ti/DSC_0320-Ti.jpg "Thomas Hardy, left, and Albert Beckman, the senior pastor at River of Grace, which has a church and homeless mission in downton Tampa, at 2801 Tampa Street. \"Grace Grillers,\" he said, \"is an outreach of our church, to get out there in the public.\"
Beckman noted that day jobs are \"drying up for the homeless\" in today's economic times. \"How bad will it get? It will increase several hundred times over,\" he said of the tough times ahead. \"One hundred percent, 200 percent, it will certainly increase in a drastic way simply because more people, less jobs and not enough money to go around.\"
Back at Tampa Street, \"we house 43 guys,\" Beckman said. \"They check in every night. Our goal is just to get them back on their own, get them out on day labor, get them into full-time jobs.\" About 10 spots, Beckman said, are reserved for men admitted to the 120-day drug and alcohol program. As for the nondenominational church, Beckman said, \"we have four services a week and people stay for the meals afterwards.\"
The Grace Grillers worked with Footsoldier Ministries \"to cook for them once a month when they fed the homeless downtown [underneath the bridge at Adamo Road and 22nd Street].\"")
!["Brother [Jim] Hobby, he's a preacher, he preaches to people who don't have a structured church, who don't feel comfortable, who don't feel they have the right clothes or shoes or money to go to an established church," said Patsy Parrish, left, with Shauna Hobby, Jim Hobby's daughter-in-law.
"We were preaching also under the bridge in Tampa, underneath the Crosstown and 22nd," Parrish said. "All homeless and low-income families came out and had church. The city ran us out. It's all because of the Super Bowl coming to Tampa. They don't want to recognize we have people living in cars."
Most of the people involved with Footsoldier Ministries, including herself, are members of the First Freewill Baptist Church in Seffner, Parrish said.
As for Shauna Hobby, she said she has been involved with the ministry for about 12 years, ever since she married Tony Hobby, who is a member of the Footsoldier Band and Singers. Her father-in-law was her influence.
"His heart's always been into the ministry and helping people and not just the homeless or low-income," she said. "He'll give anybody food." At first, she said, she got involved with helping the homeless because it was a family thing. "Then it became more of a personal commitment and seeing that whenever I help and give it comes back to me tenfold."
Parrish said she got involved because her husband was saved at the church. "I was going through a tough time myself and personally I saw them walking up to these people who were dirty and filthy and kissing them and hugging them," Parrish said. "I thought, 'What is wrong with these women? But then as I kept going back I realized, you don't see that dirt anymore. You only see what's in their eyes, whether it's loneliness or hunger or shoes taped together."
With the economy worsening, Hobby said, the need "is going to get worse, much worse." As Hobby put it: "We're all a paycheck away from being on the street. It can happen to anyone of us."
Parrish agreed, saying that at the post office where she works she sees it every day. "People can't pay their mortgage," she said. "You drive down the street and see the signs, 'Repo,' 'Repo,' 'Rep.' We have a bunch of people living behind the office, eating the garbage out of Beef O'Brady's and Wal-Mart."
"If you start looking, if you have your eyes open, you'll see it, [the homeless] are everywhere," Shauna Hobby said. "It's just that a lot of people don't look."](http://www.mypapernow.com/Other/Footsoldier-Ministries-Serves/i-FGpwq8F/0/Ti/DSC_0323-Ti.jpg "\"Brother [Jim] Hobby, he's a preacher, he preaches to people who don't have a structured church, who don't feel comfortable, who don't feel they have the right clothes or shoes or money to go to an established church,\" said Patsy Parrish, left, with Shauna Hobby, Jim Hobby's daughter-in-law.
\"We were preaching also under the bridge in Tampa, underneath the Crosstown and 22nd,\" Parrish said. \"All homeless and low-income families came out and had church. The city ran us out. It's all because of the Super Bowl coming to Tampa. They don't want to recognize we have people living in cars.\"
Most of the people involved with Footsoldier Ministries, including herself, are members of the First Freewill Baptist Church in Seffner, Parrish said.
As for Shauna Hobby, she said she has been involved with the ministry for about 12 years, ever since she married Tony Hobby, who is a member of the Footsoldier Band and Singers. Her father-in-law was her influence.
\"His heart's always been into the ministry and helping people and not just the homeless or low-income,\" she said. \"He'll give anybody food.\" At first, she said, she got involved with helping the homeless because it was a family thing. \"Then it became more of a personal commitment and seeing that whenever I help and give it comes back to me tenfold.\"
Parrish said she got involved because her husband was saved at the church. \"I was going through a tough time myself and personally I saw them walking up to these people who were dirty and filthy and kissing them and hugging them,\" Parrish said. \"I thought, 'What is wrong with these women? But then as I kept going back I realized, you don't see that dirt anymore. You only see what's in their eyes, whether it's loneliness or hunger or shoes taped together.\"
With the economy worsening, Hobby said, the need \"is going to get worse, much worse.\" As Hobby put it: \"We're all a paycheck away from being on the street. It can happen to anyone of us.\"
Parrish agreed, saying that at the post office where she works she sees it every day. \"People can't pay their mortgage,\" she said. \"You drive down the street and see the signs, 'Repo,' 'Repo,' 'Rep.' We have a bunch of people living behind the office, eating the garbage out of Beef O'Brady's and Wal-Mart.\"
\"If you start looking, if you have your eyes open, you'll see it, [the homeless] are everywhere,\" Shauna Hobby said. \"It's just that a lot of people don't look.\"")
![In the months ahead, Footsoldier Ministries will provide clothes and needed necessities [such as toiletries] to those in need at its Saturday night gatherings at the Pole Barn. The Bibles, "are always free," said Linda Ellington, center, with twins, from left,Sharleen and Darlene Guagliardo.
The aim, in addition to possibly "bringing lost souls to Christ," Ellington said, "is maybe some time, some way, relieving someone's burden and making it a little easier for them."
Ellington noted that the group also used to meet "under the bridge [at Adamo Road and 22nd Avenue] and we'd give out clothes and necessities but they closed us down."](http://www.mypapernow.com/Other/Footsoldier-Ministries-Serves/i-JHWtbHF/0/Ti/DSC_0363-Ti.jpg "In the months ahead, Footsoldier Ministries will provide clothes and needed necessities [such as toiletries] to those in need at its Saturday night gatherings at the Pole Barn. The Bibles, \"are always free,\" said Linda Ellington, center, with twins, from left,Sharleen and Darlene Guagliardo.
The aim, in addition to possibly \"bringing lost souls to Christ,\" Ellington said, \"is maybe some time, some way, relieving someone's burden and making it a little easier for them.\"
Ellington noted that the group also used to meet \"under the bridge [at Adamo Road and 22nd Avenue] and we'd give out clothes and necessities but they closed us down.\"")
Jim Hobby of Footsoldier Ministries , at the Jan. 10, 2009 Gospel Sing and Bar-B-Q at the Winthrop Events Complex Pole Barn in Riverview, at 11349 Bloomingdale Avenue. The ministry plans to meet at the Pole Barn three Saturday nights a month. "This is our church," Hobby said. "This is it."
The ministry also reaches out to the homeless, having met for years under the overpass at Adamo Drive (State Road 60) and 22nd Street. They've recently been told to vacate the area, Hobby said, as the numbers of attendees continued to swell. Hobby is committed to his calling. As he put it: "We've been under the bridge 10 years and they've tried to run us out 10 times."
A church without four walls, Footsoldiers Ministries, as its web site puts it, is committed to serving "in song and sermon" and especially to the "downtrodden, lonely, defeated, bound and lost."
As noted: "Someone has said that you make a living by what you get and you make a life by what you give. Where can you find an opportunity any better than feeding the poor and the hungry of this world?"
The ministry also reaches out to the homeless, having met for years under the overpass at Adamo Drive (State Road 60) and 22nd Street. They've recently been told to vacate the area, Hobby said, as the numbers of attendees continued to swell. Hobby is committed to his calling. As he put it: "We've been under the bridge 10 years and they've tried to run us out 10 times."
A church without four walls, Footsoldiers Ministries, as its web site puts it, is committed to serving "in song and sermon" and especially to the "downtrodden, lonely, defeated, bound and lost."
As noted: "Someone has said that you make a living by what you get and you make a life by what you give. Where can you find an opportunity any better than feeding the poor and the hungry of this world?"
Footsoldier Ministries , at the Jan. 10, 2009 Gospel Sing and Bar-B-Q at the Winthrop Events Complex Pole Barn in Riverview, at 11349 Bloomingdale Avenue. The ministry plans to meet at the Pole Barn three Saturday nights a month. "This is our church," Hobby said. "This is it."
The ministry also reaches out to the homeless, having met for years under the overpass at Adamo Drive (State Road 60) and 22nd Street. They've recently been told to vacate the area, Hobby said, as the numbers of attendees continued to swell. Hobby is committed to his calling. As he put it: "We've been under the bridge 10 years and they've tried to run us out 10 times."
A church without four walls, Footsoldiers Ministries, as its web site puts it, is committed to serving "in song and sermon" and especially to the "downtrodden, lonely, defeated, bound and lost."
As noted: "Someone has said that you make a living by what you get and you make a life by what you give. Where can you find an opportunity any better than feeding the poor and the hungry of this world?"" href="javascript:openLB(452587335,'',XLarge,'',982,768);">
Jim Hobby of Footsoldier Ministries , at the Jan. 10, 2009 Gospel Sing and Bar-B-Q at the Winthrop Events Complex Pole Barn in Riverview, at 11349 Bloomingdale Avenue. The ministry plans to meet at the Pole Barn three Saturday nights a month. "This is our church," Hobby said. "This is it."
The ministry also reaches out to the homeless, having met for years under the overpass at Adamo Drive (State Road 60) and 22nd Street. They've recently been told to vacate the area, Hobby said, as the numbers of attendees continued to swell. Hobby is committed to his calling. As he put it: "We've been under the bridge 10 years and they've tried to run us out 10 times."
A church without four walls, Footsoldiers Ministries, as its web site puts it, is committed to serving "in song and sermon" and especially to the "downtrodden, lonely, defeated, bound and lost."
As noted: "Someone has said that you make a living by what you get and you make a life by what you give. Where can you find an opportunity any better than feeding the poor and the hungry of this world?"
The ministry also reaches out to the homeless, having met for years under the overpass at Adamo Drive (State Road 60) and 22nd Street. They've recently been told to vacate the area, Hobby said, as the numbers of attendees continued to swell. Hobby is committed to his calling. As he put it: "We've been under the bridge 10 years and they've tried to run us out 10 times."
A church without four walls, Footsoldiers Ministries, as its web site puts it, is committed to serving "in song and sermon" and especially to the "downtrodden, lonely, defeated, bound and lost."
As noted: "Someone has said that you make a living by what you get and you make a life by what you give. Where can you find an opportunity any better than feeding the poor and the hungry of this world?"
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