Downtown Ministries, a bright spot for homeless in Manatee County

At a time when there is so much doom and gloom we hear reported about on a daily basis, it’s wonderful to hear about a local organization that’s doing so much to improve the lives of the homeless in Manatee County. The organization I’ve witnessed do so much is “Downtown Ministries” (Downtown Ministries serves Manatee County community.)

The founders of this ministry, Christine and Ian Loomes, have followed a calling they’ve had to improve the quality of life of the less fortunate here in our area. Over the last several years this couple have devoted countless hours, and with additional support from others, have grown this ministry from serving breakfast once a week to the homeless to a very active mission that provides daily services that help provide needs for the less fortunate.

Some of the benefits they currently provide for this (sometimes forgotten ) population are: serving breakfast to the homeless six days a week, a weekly adopt-a-block to provide neighborhood love and support; a weekly clothing closet to provide warmth during our cool season and other clothing needs for adults and children; a very active bike refurbishment and donation program to help with transportation.

These are just a few of the services provided by Downtown Ministries. The selfless devotion this couple has shown for others in need, right here in our own back yard, reminds us that we don’t always have to travel to other countries to make an impact on lives of the less fortunate.

A special thank you to Christine and Ian Loomes for making such a difference in our community. If you are interested in hearing more about Downtown Ministries or supporting this outreach, contact downtownministries.com or check them out on face book.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Downtown Ministries, a bright spot for homeless in Manatee County."