- April 22, 2024
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One Ormond Beach charity is keeping people in their homes, one meal at a time.
Mark Geallis has always given food to the homeless - even when he was risking jail time.
Formerly the missions director for Salty Church, Geallis felt in urge to make a difference in his local community each time he returned from a foreign trip. Two years ago, he was helping put on a cookout to feed the homeless when he had police tell him that if he was caught doing it again he would go to jail.
“As I was walking to my car that night a homeless man came up to me and said ‘You can feed the ducks but you can’t feed us,’” Geallis said. “That really hit my heart.”
The next day he got a call back on a job with Halifax Urban Ministries, a local charity with the goal of beating homelessness through prevention and intervention. Geallis said the call from HUM was really a call from God.
“My clandestine homeless helping operation was closed down by the police,” Geallis said, “and the next morning the first call I get is someone telling me I’m going to be a legal helper of the homeless. I really see God in that.”
Now the community relations and development director at HUM, Geallis said the organization distributes about 2,400 bags a month throughout Volusia county. Of the two locations in Ormond Beach, 300-400 bags are distributed a month. Geallis said that though there isn’t a visible homeless issue in Ormond Beach, there is a need for preventing it.
“It gives Ormond residents an option to get food and stay in their homes,” Geallis said. “I know there is not a big homeless problem in Ormond Beach but there is a lot of poverty there. The beachside areas and the mainland area off of Beach Street there is a lot of poverty and food brings hope to these people.”
Interim Office Manager Veetina Malone said though they don’t have a huge need for volunteers at the Ormond Beach locations, there is a huge desire to get involved.
“There are individuals that come here for family food bags,” Malone said, “who are willing to volunteer. They’re throwing out their eagerness to help. It comes from all over.”
Raymond Bell, a volunteer with HUM in Ormond Beach for 10 years, pointed to the sky when asked why he got involved with the organization.
“God did,” Bell said. “People matter to God.”
HUM’s two locations in Ormond Beach are at Emmanuel Church, located at 54 S. Ridgewood Ave., and at St. James Episcopal Church located at 38 S. Halifax Dr. The Emmanuel Church location is opened Monday-Friday and the St. James location is opened every Friday.
Visit www.halifaxurbanministries.org.
Give Local Central Florida
Halifax Urban Ministries is one of the local charities participating in Give Local, a 24 hour online local day of giving. Starting at midnight on May 6 the residents of Volusia, Flagler and Putnam counties are encouraged to go online and donate to the charity of their choice. Each donation has the opportunity to be matched or multiplied.
Hosted by the Community Foundation of East Central Florida this event is a part of Give Local America, a movement to reignite a spirit of giving across the country. This one time only event is a celebration of 100 years of community foundations and their philanthropy.
“Last month we held three meetings across Volusia and Flagler Counties introducing Give Local America to area non-profit organizations and the excitement is growing,” Nita Schmellick said in a press release. "President/CEO of CFECF. “Many of the non-profits made verbal commitments to participate.”
Visit www.givelocalecfl.org to get more information and to donate May 6.
