02 Jan 2026 Five-Oh-Ones to Watch 2026: Rick and Traci Harvey

By Rita Halter Thomas

In the heart of the 501, the Soul Food Café Mission in Conway is more than a place to find a hot meal or pick up a box of food. It’s a mission focused on ministering with “food for the body as well as food for the soul.” Co-founders and directors Rick and Traci Harvey of Bigelow, along with their all-volunteer staff, have been extending compassion, hope and love since 2001.

“Both Traci and I were called into the ministry when we were very young. We had a drive to do some kind of ministry for the Lord,” Rick said. Having compassion for those struggling with food insecurity, Traci wanted to cook and provide physical sustenance, while he felt the need to share the bread of life for spiritual fulfillment.

Each of their desires were key ingredients in the perfect recipe for feeding the whole person, both physically and spiritually. 

The Bible study “Experiencing God,” written by Henry Thomas Blackaby, inspired the couple to launch Soul Food Café Mission. “It started out small and grew beyond our wildest imagination,” Traci said.

Over the years, the mission has grown to offer more than hot meals and food boxes. Today, it offers toiletries, clothing, a laundry mat, showers, hair salon, shuttle bus transportation, food back-packs for elementary-age kids, small furniture and appliances, a mobile shower/laundry truck, and a mobile soup kitchen.

The Harveys are living out their faith through service, citing inspiration from Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Their dedication is driven by love and the community’s growing need, and is also inspired by Ecclesiastes 9:10a, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

Traci plans the menus for the large, weekly meals, and when she cooks certain dishes it stirs nostalgic feelings from her childhood. Her paternal grandmother, MawMaw Doll Snow, baked banana pudding for special occasions and Traci likes to make the delicious dessert at the Mission. Another recipe that takes her back to her childhood is a hearty soup that ties her to her mother’s upbringing in Louisiana. The Cajun Potato Soup is a satisfying dish that includes one of the state’s signature meats — smoked andouille sausage.

From the beginning, the Soul Food Café Mission has offered spiritual guidance to those they serve, but taking part is always voluntary. Tangible benefits are never withheld from those who choose not to participate and recipients are not the only ones receiving a blessing. 

Carolyn Davis-Smith, a team leader in the administrative department who has been a volunteer for more than 20 years, says she is just as blessed. “We just love the people; they are so precious. The ones we see regularly become our friends and even seek us out to say, ‘hi,’ or will give us the ‘I love you,’ sign,” she said. 

This past year, the Soul Café Mission served food boxes to more than 30,000 people in more than 14,000 households, provided more than 33,000 pounds of food in more than 5,000 backpacks distributed to elementary schoolchildren, served approximately 600 boxes of food to the homeless, and distributed more than 95,000 pounds of food to people of all walks of life in various stages of need across multiple counties. 

Spiritually, the mission has witnessed more than 700 salvation decisions, conducted close to 60 baptisms, and prayed for and with countless others.

The Soul Food Café Mission is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday. This mission requires a lot of bodies to be the hands and feet of Jesus (between 150-200) every week, to serve an average of 400 hot meals and food boxes, and provide a host of other services. Families are encouraged to serve together. 

Early in the ministry, all the Harveys’ children served at the mission. “We are thankful to have had the opportunity to give our children hands-on experience doing the Lord’s work,” Rick and Traci said. 

Beverly Sutterfield, long-time friend of the Harveys and mission volunteer, said it’s easy to help because the couple demonstrates Matthew 10:8b: “Freely you have received; freely give.” 

“We have found our community really cares about people and their situation. They never fail to [meet] the needs of those they know,” Rick said, adding that Conway may be large, but it maintains a small-town feel. “We are just a community of God-loving and caring people.”

Want to help? Volunteers and donations (both food and financial) are always needed, but the mission also needs some equipment, like power jacks and forklifts, to aid in moving heavy pallets, and to upgrade their serving line steam table. “We have found that if it is His will, it is His bill,” said Traci, something the Harveys learned from others in ministry.

They have spent more than 30 years in the Conway, Greenbrier and Bigelow area and have been married for 40 years. They have seven grown children: Jaime Heflin, Jessi Baker, Jenni Harvey, Jacqui Dickens, Joeli Sowards, Rick Harvey III and Janssi Eberle. They have 13 grandchildren and one on the way. Traci moved to the area when she was 15 years old and is a graduate of Conway High School. Rick received an associate’s degree in business from the University of Central Arkansas, then received his bachelor’s degree in theology from Southwestern University in Texas. 

Advice to others? “Fall in love with the Lord and allow Him to lead your life’s passions. Little is much in the hands of the Lord,” Rick said. “When it is God-inspired, you don’t burn out. That passion still burns inside both of us, and we can see it burning until the day we die.”

To learn more, follow Soul Food Café Mission on social media or visit soulfoodcafemission.org.

Mama Dollie’s Banana Pudding

3 eggs, separated

3 bananas

¾ qt. milk, scalded

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 box Nilla wafers

Mix egg yolks well. Pour into scalded milk. Temper yolks first, which is the process of slowly combining cold beaten egg yolks with a hot liquid to create a silky, thick texture without scrambling the eggs. Mix flour and sugar together and pour into milk and egg mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens. Set off of the stove. Cool and add vanilla. Layer pudding, bananas and wafers. 

Meringue

3 egg whites

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Make meringue by beating egg whites and vanilla until stiff. Slowly add sugar and continue beating. Spread over pudding and bake at 350 degrees until browned.

Cajun Potato Soup

1 lb. bacon • 2 lbs. smoked andouille sausage

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1 stick butter 1 1/2 onions diced up

2 Tbsp. garlic • 1 cup all-purpose flour

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8 potatoes cubed • 48 oz. chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream • 3 cups whole milk

Garlic powder to taste • Onion powder to taste

Cajun seasoning to taste (optional)

Black pepper to taste • Salt to taste

Dry parsley to taste • 1/2 cup diced green onion

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Optional Toppings:

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

¼ cup diced green onion

In a large pot, render down the bacon and sausage. Remove meat but leave grease. Add butter, onion, garlic and flour. Mix and cook down. Add potato cubes and all but the final three ingredients. Cook until the potatoes are tender when a fork is inserted, then smash potatoes in the pan a little, mix in the ingredients through the parsley. Then, add the bacon and sausage back in. Add ½ cup green onions and cook 30 more minutes. Optional: Top with grated cheese and ¼ cup green onions.