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Faced with the awesome challenge of feeding and aiding the homeless and needy in her community, Sharon Walker chose to do something.

She began Rose of Sharon Soup Kitchen and Thrift Store in Huntsville, Alabama, a little over a year ago, but the roots for the project began to bud a few years prior, while she worked at a local rescue mission.

Walker, a petite, soft-spoken, bespectacled, 43-year-old single woman with a degree in music, is quietly determined and non-judgmental.

"Many things may bring a person to be homeless. Sometimes it's a single traumatic event, like the death of a loved one and they just can't get on with their life," she explained. "Many times, repeated episodes of abuse and living in a dysfunctional family may trigger the inability to live a traditional lifestyle. Whatever caused it, we need to relearn how to function in the world, living by God's word."

On a recent day at the Rose of Sharon Soup Kitchen and Thrift Store, she was busy cooking turkey soup and "pukka pumpkin casserole," but took time out to share her story. She smiled shyly and explained that pukka meant "first class" or "first rate." "I like to make fun names for the food and make it a little more special. We recently had venison donated to us and I made vegetable soup from it. I called it Bambi Brew," she said. Daily fare at Rose of Sharon's consists of soup, bread, coffee and dessert. A full meal is offered once a week and there is the traditional regale on holidays.

Walker has not always been Queen of the Kitchen. When she was 14, her family banned her from cooking after the house caught fire — twice. She didn't know she was supposed to take the pizza out of the cardboard box before she put it in the oven, and she couldn't really explain what happened when the grilled cheese sandwiches became Queso Flambé.

Time and experience, however, have remedied Walker's culinary handicap. "We opened in November of 2003 and fed 1,989 meals in the first year, about 165 meals a month. We serve meals Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Thrift Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. those same days," she noted.

Opening the soup kitchen has not been a cakewalk. First, Walker had to establish non-profit status, which required a $600 fee. Then, she needed to locate a suitable building. "The customary rent here is one dollar per square foot monthly," she explained. "I was unable to afford most sites I looked at."

When she found a potential place, it was too large and too expensive, but she inquired anyway. The landlord told her the space was 3,300 square feet and that the rent would cost $1,100 a month. "I told her what I planned for the building and she lowered the price to $800 a month," said Walker. "We talked some more and she said she would go home to pray about it." The next morning, the landlord called Walker and told her she would only charge $500 a month and would not require a deposit. "Now that was God at work," she said.

Photo courtesy of Linda Swanson

It took a lot of work to convert what was a former video arcade into a warm and inviting soup kitchen. "We had to remove all the ceiling tiles, prime them and paint them with three layers of white to get rid of the black paint, and we had to build the kitchen," she said. Walker and her small team went to auctions for restaurants that had gone out-of-business to secure needed equipment. Then they searched for donated items for the thrift shop, including clothes racks to hang the garments for sale.

The organization's dedicated Board of Directors consists of a nurse, a factory worker and Walker. "We meet monthly, pray and discuss plans," she explained. "I depend on donations of food, money and items to sell in the thrift shop to keep this place going. And of course, I depend on the Lord."

The obstacles are ever-present. Lack of adequate finances is the most difficult impediment. The heating bill alone was over $500 in the month of January. Maintenance is always a challenge, as are cleaning, sorting, pricing and displaying items in the thrift shop. The windows and the kitchen can use a fresh coat of paint, and the hauling away of the refuse is overdue. Help is scarce, although there have been service organizations, high school clubs, Sunday school classes and some individuals who generously volunteer their time. Walker is especially grateful to anyone who gives of his or her time, money or items for sale.

Despite the challenges and hardships, she remains upbeat and focused. "I am here to do what the Lord calls me to do. It's a good day when I know I have made a difference, when I have helped someone get warmer, get fuller physically or spiritually."

She explained that many of the homeless prefer to sleep outdoors instead of going to a shelter, so she provides them with complimentary toiletries, a free change of clothes once a month and a new coat and blanket each winter. Walker's work has also taught her some things she hadn't expected. "I've had a rude awakening about mouthwash addiction. It gives a drunk, a high and hallucinations. It's a big problem," she said.

"Paul," a man with a ready smile and stocking cap, who has been a regular at Rose of Sharon for over a year, joined Walker at one of the long dining tables on which Bibles were stacked next to the salt and peppershakers. Paul's cold fingers gently folded around a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee. He told of how he sleeps in a tent by the interstate. He and Walker had an easy back and forth conversation about the weather, news events and his well-being.

"She has a really good heart," he said of Walker, and then asked: "Where's Lazarus?" (Lazarus is the bob-tailed homeless stray cat that Walker has tamed and feeds. The cat, like the men and women of the streets, is free to wander in and out of Rose of Sharon's as the need arises.)

A few more men arrived on this cold rainy day, seeking warmth, food, and conversation. Walker prays that they also seek the word she is so eager to share. She greeted each by calling their names and giving them a smile along with the food. She sat down with them at the tables and began to talk and teach. Signs on the walls offer encouragement. One read, "You can't change you, but you can change your future." Another said, "No one can make your dreams come true but you."

Walker said she plans to expand the mission of the shelter to include drug and alcohol rehabilitation, with an emphasis on spirituality. The blueprint includes providing a stable, controlled, positive and nurturing environment "The Lord gave me a vision to do a soup kitchen and thrift store," she said. "The dream one day will include buying some land and building a debt free homeless shelter."

Editor's Note: Linda Swanson originally researched and wrote this story for Circle! In doing so, she was so inspired by the work of The Rose of Sharon soup kitchen that she pitched the story to the editors at The Huntsville Times in Huntsville, Alabama, in hopes that local coverage would inspire community support. The Huntsville Times agreed and they ran the story as well. The resulting response from local citizens and businesses was overwhelming, and support and donations poured in to The Rose of Sharon Soup Kitchen.

Watch for the Next Issue of Circle! on June 7