Purpose Statement: Good To Go Mobile Soup Kitchen is a 501(c)3 charity located in Springfield, Missouri providing free and healthy to go meals to the hungry community.
Mission: Find and feed the hungry
Values:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ken Brown, PhD - President of the Board - Missouri State University
Sharon Day - Interim Board Treasurer - OTC
Traci Brown - Board Secretary - Mercy
Jennifer Cannon - Board Member - Generous Insights
Michel Hansen - Board Member - Community Volunteer
Richard "Chip" Kidd - Board Member - Primerica
Sheila Johnson - Board Member - Natural Escapes
Barby Pohl - ExOfficio Board Member - The Venues
Denise Johnson, Executive Director - Good To Go Mobile, Inc.
Mission: Find and feed the hungry
Values:
- Respect and transparency. We respect and value the expertise of those with whom we collaborate in our shared work: our community profit partners, the individuals who lead them, and each other. We are transparent, among ourselves and with our partners, in how we accomplish our goals, make our decisions, and invest in the transformation of lives.
- Inclusion and diversity. We value the diverse perspective of our community and others who work in our areas of interest. We invite and encourage broad participation of all interested community members.
- Simplicity and effectiveness. We invest our resources in simple, yet effective programs that align with our mission. We evaluate all we do and make adjustments based on what we learn.
- Non-Judgement and dignity. We provide empathy to our community without judgement. We seek opportunities to restore and maintain dignity. We seek to transform lives through the "breaking of bread" and building relationships. We don't attempt to fix those who seem broken, rather we hope to lift them up when we are able.
- Enthusiasm. We encourage and nurture the public's passion for helping the homeless and financially insecure population by sharing enthusiasm and providing creative ways for them to partner with us to find and feed the hungry.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ken Brown, PhD - President of the Board - Missouri State University
Sharon Day - Interim Board Treasurer - OTC
Traci Brown - Board Secretary - Mercy
Jennifer Cannon - Board Member - Generous Insights
Michel Hansen - Board Member - Community Volunteer
Richard "Chip" Kidd - Board Member - Primerica
Sheila Johnson - Board Member - Natural Escapes
Barby Pohl - ExOfficio Board Member - The Venues
Denise Johnson, Executive Director - Good To Go Mobile, Inc.
David and our founder, Denise Berg Johnson.
A Note From The Executive Director
In early 2016 I moved back to Missouri and began volunteering sporadically to assist in providing meals and necessities to the unsheltered in Springfield. I started my career in the early 1990's working at THe Kitchen so I thought I was aware of the challenges this city faced with homelessness and poverty, but, I soon realized so much had changed!
During a night of BINGO, I 'ran into' a man named David. David wasn’t just an anonymous homeless person. He had been a trusted friend during high school, a member of the same crowd as myself, and my heart immediately opened. I felt more compassion and love in that one moment for our friends on the street than ever. Since then, a day hasn’t gone by that I haven’t thought of David. I look for him at volunteer opportunities, at our local church where we both attend and around other places I think he might visit. It sounds dramatic, but it is true: My reconnection with David changed the course of my life.
As I began to build relationships and listen to the stories of these friends, I learned they often miss meals because they just can’t make it to the locations serving meals. One night, playing BINGO, a friend mentioned there were some nights when meals are not even available and on other nights getting to certain locations for a meal was a difficult transaction. He said “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to walk two miles for dinner”. It was then I thought “What if the food came to you?” Later that night I began researching mobile soup kitchens. The idea of starting a mobile soup kitchen sounded difficult, time-consuming and absolutely no fun at all! Later that week, my church hosted Randy Bacon’s 7 Billion Ones project. Randy said "It's important to make a difference. It's important to 'Be One'" I remember thinking "You. He's talking to you." After stating (out loud, like a crazy person) “It’s IMPOSSIBLE!” and pushing the idea aside, a few chance encounters that same month made me realize it was only impossible if I did it alone. But…I wasn’t going to do it alone. I felt certain that if I answered this call, resources would be available.
We launched Good To Go Mobile, Inc. in December 2016 and we will serve our first free and healthy 'to go' meal to our friends on the street on January 19, 2017. If you'd like to help, please contact us.