First Baptist Church of Riverside

G.U.M.B.O. (God Using Ministry to Bless Others)

      GUMBO was started almost 7 years ago as a cooking small group that made meals for a local shelter in Riverside. In the beginning we provided 40 meals every Tuesday but God had bigger plans and soon we were cooking over 300 meals every Tuesday for 3 different shelters in Riverside and Moreno Valley. 

     In late 2006 GUMBO felt called to stop providing meals to the shelters and begin serving the homeless on the streets of Riverside. Working with our homeless friends, we have been able to bring them the word of God, hot meals, and friendships. As a result of our outreach, many have come into a personal relationship with Christ, entered substance abuse programs and 3 people have also found permanent housing .  The 3 people that we have helped get off of the street have now joined GUMBO and are cooking and serving the very same people that they lived on the streets with only months ago. 

     More recently we have established a partnership with Teen Challenge in Riverside. They go on with GUMBO every Tuesday and have been able to successfully transition 3 of our homeless friends into the Teen Challenge program.

     We currently provide 100 meals (depending on the time of the month) every Tuesday to the homeless living on the streets of Riverside, and another 100 on Sunday mornings. On any given week, Gumbo provides 200 meals. We have calculated that over the past 7 years, GUMBO has served roughly 80,000 meals to the homeless in Riverside.

     There is so much more to share of what God has done in our lives as well as theirs. We have a special video showing how this group of men and women has been changed, and how they have allowed God to change them and those who are in need of help on the streets. To access the video, please enter this web address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpEHYLanv5K.