By Libby Hopkins
Buddy Bass of Dover had a very long and tedious career as an insurance salesman. He knew there had to be more in life and he wanted more out of life for him and his wife, Jane. She told him he would never be happy until he was doing what God had called him to do. Bass’s calling was to be in a full-time ministry and he has been running his ministry, Manna on Wheels for the last eight years. Manna on Wheels is a mobile kitchen ministry that provides food to the needy and homeless in Brandon and the surrounding communities. The mission’s vision is to rescue the lost through a heart-changing experience with God that gives those in need hope and peace.
Since Bass started his ministry, he has helped many churches in the community with their food outreaches feeding thousands of homeless people and serving more than 75,000 pounds of food to those in need. “We just finished an outreach in Dover at the IGA grocery store and fed over 500 meals to the local residents,” Bass said. “We had more than 120 volunteers and we served them a Thanksgiving dinner.” He has another outreach planned for Saturday, December 14 where he will be serving over 300 meals to the Angel Tree Families in Temple Terrace. “We are also planning to do a pancake and sausage breakfast in the Dover IGA parking lot on Christmas morning.” Manna on Wheels will be serving breakfast from 7-11 a.m. at this location.
Bass has many plans for the upcoming New Year. They include finishing his warehouse and getting his walk-in cooler up and running. He is still $4000 away from completing this project. He would also like to add five to six more outreach sites to do a total of six outreaches a year. In addition to the outreaches, he hopes to raise 200,000 pounds of food to give away.“My own hope for Manna on Wheels is that God sends us the people we need to run our ministry in a way that is pleasing to God the Father,” Bass said. “I would also like to find like-minded people young enough and Christ-centered to take the reins when it’s time for me to step down.” Manna on Wheels is Bass’s dream and he wants it to live forever. To learn more about Manna on Wheels or to make a donation to the ministry, visit its website at www.mannaonwheels.org or contact Bass at 767-5708.
