Bread of Life becomes Murphy Red Shield Diner
The Salvation Army of El Dorado’s Bread of Life Soup Kitchen received a new name Thursday during a rededication ceremony.
Salvation Army Lts. Charles and Teri Smith proudly rededicated the newly-named Murphy Red Shield Diner in honor of its past 30 years of service offered to the counties of Union, Calhoun and Ouachita.
Lt. Smith opened the ceremony with a reading of scripture from Proverbs 24:3-4, “Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
He continued — “And that can be said of this dining facility and also of our canteen. It’s been a blessing to serve this community.”
The renaming of the “soup kitchen” reflects The Salvation Army’s mission as well as honoring the long-time support of the Murphy family, according to a Salvation Army press release. A mobile feeding unit or canteen was also dedicated during the event. The canteen allows The Salvation Army to respond to local disasters while also providing another way in which to serve the community.
Wanda Ragsdale, lifetime Salvation Army member and former chairman of the board, offered a brief history of the soup kitchen. In 1986, eight local churches came together in an effort to help the needy of El Dorado and offered their support to create the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen. “The power was there because God was blessing us,” she said. “And if God is for you then who can be against you?”
“It started 30 years ago and has continued to grow over the years. That first day we served 25 adults and six children. Yesterday, we served 267. My, what a blessing this soup kitchen has been," Ragsdale said.
During its 30 years of serving meals to the hungry of El Dorado, The Salvation Army has provided hope to thousands of men, women and children. In 2015, The Salvation Army served 124,559 meals and provided 6,935 nights of lodging. The meals and lodging are just a part of the services provided to over 18,400 individuals in 2015.
The Salvation Army would like to thank the Murphy family and The Murphy Foundation, Murphy Oil and Murphy USA for their contributions and generous support of the mission and work in El Dorado.
The Murphy Red Shield Diner serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 1 p.m on Sunday. Dinner is served from 4:15 to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.