It’s been almost three years since John Bell began working as a program assistant at Our Daily Bread and what keeps him there is the belief that he’s answering a divine calling.“I believe God wants me here,” is how he phrases it.

John’s affiliation with the comprehensive resource center began when he was released from the hospital after back surgery. Walking past the building en route to his home, he stopped to ask a staff member “How can I help?” He returned to volunteer on Saturdays for two years increasing from one day a week to seven until being hired full-time in November 2009.

His duties include monitoring the flow of diners in the dining room and answering guests’ inquiries about available help. John says, “The most fulfilling thing about my job is when I direct someone to a service and they come back and tell me that what I told them was right and that they got the help they needed.”