Ministry founders Carl and Odie Holland

In 2009 Carl and Odie experienced a series of financial setbacks that put them in a bind. They simply needed some temporary help to get over a bump in the road, but due to income qualifications, there was no help to be had. Odie found a place in Callahan, FL where she could get food without qualifications, so she would go there on her lunch break from work in Hilliard, FL. She was receiving more food than they could use, so she started sharing with friends, family, and neighbors. After telling them what she was doing, they started giving her even more food to share. With the help of a few friends and family, they began making up boxes of food in their kitchen to share with a low income mobile home park next to the church they were attending.

After recovering from their financial difficulties, Odie believed God wanted her to make it a formal ministry, so Ravens of Elijah Food Ministries was born. The ministry grew far beyond what they could handle on a part-time basis, so they took a giant leap of faith and made the sacrifice of Odie quitting her paying job to work, relying solely on Carl’s income and God’s provision. God has blessed, provided for, and grown the ministry from a few boxes in their kitchen, to well over 10,000 pounds of food each week, requiring a 24 ft box truck, a 14 ft box truck, and a 16 ft refrigerated truck. The ministry currently serves over 700 households, including delivering food to homeless areas and to elderly, disabled, or otherwise home-bound individuals who are unable to come go get food themselves.