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Visitors to the Christian Service Center, located at 701 Chevis St. in Abbeville, will find the new message painted on the front windows.

Christian Service Center in Abbeville focusing its mission on feeding ‘mind, body and spirit’

Under the leadership of Deacon Randy Hyde during the last few years, food distribution at the St. Mary Magdalen Christian Services has became an effective means to help people in need in Abbeville and Vermilion Parish.
Hyde has moved on to other callings in ministry, bringing Marcelo and Kelli Davis to help run the day-to-day operations of the Christian Service Center. John Listi serves as the director.
A focus of the new leadership has been not to make change for the sake of change, as Kelly Davis pointed out that Hyde helped build a well-oiled machine. Rather, the focus is expanding on what the Christian Service Center, located at 701 Chevis St. in Abbeville, can provide to the needs of the community.
“We have a new is a heart with some wheat in it,” Kelli Davis said. “Underneath it says, feeding body, mind and spirit.
“That is what we want our focus to be.”
For the body, food distribution is key. The center serves 400 families per month, as well as providing around 50 hot meals per day. Something that may go unnoticed is the need for shelter.
“We have more and more people
approach us about temporary housing,” Kelli Davis said. “They are experiencing temporary homelessness for different reasons.”
The center does have an arrangement with a local motel, but that is only for two days. There is also a shelter in Lafayette. Vermilion Parish does not have a permanent shelter.
“We want to come up with a better solution than to be lodged for two days or have to go to Lafayette,” Kelli Davis said.
No definite plan has been put in place for the development of a shelter in the parish. Marcelo Davis said the first step to getting there is talking about it.
“We want to start the conversation as to how we go about approaching the homelessness situation in Abbeville and Vermilion Parish,” Marcelo Davis said. “There’s a need, so we need to come up with something to address that need.”
Representatives of the Christian Service Center have worked closely with counterparts at Goodwill Industries. Kelli Davis said that is part of the center’s mission to feed the mind.
“Something Goodwill taught us is that when it comes to helping people,” Kelli Davis said, “it is all about a hand up, not a hand out.”
Kelli Davis said one goal is to bring attention to Goodwill’s job-placement service. That takes place on Thursday’s from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Goodwill’s office is located at 2900 Veterans Memorial Dr. in Abbeville.
“We want to make a stronger partnership with them,” Kelli Davis said. “We can work together to find whatever is available to help.”
Kelli Davis said a goal is to have volunteers go to the Christian Service Center to teach classes on subjects such at budgeting and healthier eating habits.
As for spiritual support, it does not revolve solely around one denomination.
“There are various religions and faiths,” Kelli Davis said. “We want to reach out to everyone.”
Kelli Davis said the idea is to create teams that work with the three aspects of the
Christian Service Center’s mission. Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact the center by calling 893-9756, or by emailing cscabbeville@gmail.com.
“We want to everyone to know what we provide,” Kelli Davis said. “Yes, we provide food. We also want to empower people. We want to help people get the resources and skills needed to take care of themselves.”

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