Larry

“The hospital gave me a list of missions and I came to Bread of Life.”

Larry was on route from Florida to Alaska to work on the pipeline, when he made an unplanned stop in Seattle that profoundly changed his life.

“I had a heart attack on the bus,” he recalls. Larry recovered, but had to use the last of his money to pay the hospital for his care – and his plans to continue on to Alaska were shelved. “I had no more money and no family,” Larry says. “The hospital gave me a list of missions and I came to Bread of Life.”

After taking some time to get his strength back, Larry joined our Resident Volunteer Program. With 35 years of experience as a chef, it was only natural that he should put his talents to use in our kitchen. Fortunately, he was just in time for Thanksgiving!

Larry was used to cooking for crowds of men on the oil rigs where he worked, but creating menus for the Mission was a little more challenging. “I was used to ordering $25,000 worth of groceries a week and I had everything I needed to cook with. Here, I had to adapt to what's donated.”

Larry’s story is far from over. He still plans to finish his journey to Alaska, probably after the holidays or whenever his doctor gives him the go-ahead to travel. In the meantime, guests at Bread of Life will enjoy some excellent cooking as their own stories unfold.