It is a well-known fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and many homeless men, women and families in Conway go without breakfast.

Now, Bethlehem House, Conway’s local transitional shelter for the homeless is serving breakfast.

Bethlehem House was awarded a $1,000 Giving Tree Grant from the Arkansas Community Foundation Conway Affiliate to launch the city’s only breakfast program. The grants, which are competitive, support a broad range of projects with the potential for statewide impact and programs serving immediate local needs.

“We chose to use our grant to jumpstart our breakfast program,” said Aimee Prince, director of advancement for Bethlehem House.

Currently, Bethlehem House is the only organization in Conway that provides dinner to the community 365 days a year. “While serving our nightly dinners, we learned that for many people the dinner was their only meal in a day,” said Judi Lively, executive director of Bethlehem House. “We can’t image starting our work day on an empty stomach so we wanted to do something to combat this issue.”

“Food can greatly impact our moods and mental health. When we are hungry, we can start to feel low in energy, foggy and easily overwhelmed,” said Aimee.

“Our goal is to make our community more productive and healthier and alleviate the worry of where the next meal will come from.”

A “to go” breakfast will be served from 6 to 8 a.m. Monday through Friday at Bethlehem House located at 1115 Parkway in Conway. This program is open to anyone experiencing homelessness and poverty.

The breakfast program is a partnership with the community and Westrock Coffee. Together, a filling, hot breakfast along with a cup of coffee is served to those who are facing food insecurity. Dinner will continue to be served nightly between 6 and 7 p.m.

Bethlehem House is accepting donations to sustain this breakfast program throughout the summer months when children are out of school. To make a donation, please visit bethlehemhouse.net or call 501.329.4862.

Bethlehem House is part of the City of Conway’s Homeless Taskforce and a partner organization of United Way of Central Arkansas.