Spreading love like it’s on butter on toast

On the corner of 5th and Clay Street, an organization fueled by generosity and the gospel opens its doors every morning to serve the community.   

Lynchburg Daily Bread is a charity that serves people in need — not just physically with hot meals, but also spiritually with the gospel of Christ. Lynchburg Daily Bread carries this out through all its distribution efforts, including its daily hot lunches, 16 meal-outreach program locations, its “Little Free pantry” located on Clay Street and a farmer’s market that is open every Tuesday. 

Luis Rivera, the volunteer coordinator of Lynchburg Daily Bread, said he believes this organization will be one of the Lynchburg community’s biggest food distributors during this holiday season. 

Rivera started his journey at the Lynchburg Daily Bread as a student at Liberty University completing his CSER credit. Since then, not only has Lynchburg Daily Bread given Rivera a new perspective on how to serve others physically, but also a new perspective on how to serve the spiritual needs of a community that is in such dire need of the gospel. 

“There is a population coming through these doors that needs help that doesn’t pertain to just the need for food … I have become more social through my work and praying with people that come through these doors,” Rivera said. 

Lynchburg Daily Bread works hand-in-hand with many surrounding schools, churches and food corporations, such as Food Lion, to help make the holiday season a collective experience. From blankets and clothing donations to student-led food drives, everyone can come together to meet the increased demand for food. 

During COVID-19, many grocery stores and restaurants closed, and access to food was scarce and almost impossible for many people to reach, but not at Lynchburg Daily Bread. 

“When I first started here as a volunteer, we were still serving the community, but just with plexiglass and door shields and operating right through our front entrance. … We saw an astronomical increase in attendees, which went from about 100 attendees (daily) to 300 during the pandemic,” Rivera said, recalling his time serving in the midst of the pandemic. 

Serving the community through Lynchburg Daily Bread can be done through donations, volunteer work or even coordinating food drives. For more information, visit www.lynchburgdailybread.com.

Nguyen is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion

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