About Us

Servant’s Heart Ministry is a faith-based organization with a long history of feeding vulnerable families and individuals who suffer food insecurity. We began in 2002 with the same business model we follow today. In faith, we trust that God will supply the food and funds to feed His children.

In 2020, to meet the need for food resulting from COVID19, we doubled our distribution. Since that time, with economic struggles and rising inflation in our community, the need has continued to grow. With God’s help we have grown to meet it.

How is Servant's Heart Ministry Unique?

Nutritious Food Every Week

Unlike many food pantries, along with non-perishable food we include fresh produce, bakery items, meat, eggs and dairy products on a weekly basis to qualifying participants for a six-month period. This means they do not need to be anxious about finding food each week, but can concentrate on becoming independent. After six months, recipients are reevaluated, and if needed, they can continue receiving food. Because we deliver food to their doorstep, they don’t need transportation to receive our assistance.

Groceries Delivered by a Caring Friend

The Community Partners deliver food, along with hope and encouragement, to the same recipients weekly. This gives them an opportunity to build relationships and become aware of other needs, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. Although our primary focus is food insecurity, we recognize that there are often other needs like housing assistance, job placement, budget guidance and health insurance issues. We strive to reflect God’s love for them, and with their permission, pray together.

How Else Can We Help?

To assist with other needs, we have added a Resource Manager who oversees our Empowering Lives Program. This program connects our recipients to vital community resources in order to help lift them out of their current situation. We want to empower them to create a more stable life, and move away from food insecurity. We celebrate each graduate of our program!

We do all of this with a tight budget, a small staff and a huge team of volunteers! They are the backbone of our ministry and enable us to have a massive impact on our community.

Extending Our Reach

In addition to our weekly food deliveries, we support other programs in the community to combat food insecurity and offer life-changing assistance.

Bridge the Gap

Through our Empowering Lives initiative, we often learn about needs, other than food, which our recipients are experiencing. Sometimes we can help by offering referrals to other agencies or organizations who specialize in those areas. Other times, the recipients have more urgent needs for financial assistance. To meet these needs, we established a special fund called Bridge the Gap.

It is a discretionary fund, where one-time gifts are given by the consideration of Servant’s Heart Ministry’s Executive Director and the Board of Directors. The money does not come out of the general operating budget, but from donations specifically requested to be channeled to the Bridge the Gap program.

Discovery Food Pantry

Discovery Church offers a Community Resource Center staffed with volunteers who help those who walk in their doors to take their next best step in life and to connect to God. Sometimes this includes a need for groceries to fight hunger.

By sharing our extensive knowledge of stocking, safely storing and distributing food, a food pantry was created. Because this includes commercial freezers, they are able to provide protein along with non-perishable food items. We maintain their food stock by periodic deliveries. In this way we offer assistance to those in walking distance to the church, to help in desperate situations.

Discovery Church, 811 Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32809 (at the corner of Voltaire Dr and Sand Lake Rd)

Conway Cares

Conway Cares provides weekend nutrition to food-insecure youth in South Orlando to facilitate academic success and improve their lives physically, spiritually and emotionally.

Food is delivered to schools in the Conway area. Then teachers, counselors and school employees discreetly provide it to their students.

These much-needed groceries are sent home with the students to supplement their nourishment for the weekend, in a manner that preserves their dignity.

Our Team

Novella Washington

Executive Director

Novella Settles serves Servant’s Heart Ministry as Executive Director, providing visionary leadership and overseeing all ministry operations. She leads our Feeding Communities weekly grocery program, ensuring families and seniors receive not only nourishment, but hope and encouragement each week.
In addition, she manages quality control, volunteer engagement, donor relations, and our Empowering Lives Program—connecting participants to vital community resources that foster stability and long-term independence.

Novella joined Servant’s Heart in 2021 as Empowering Lives Director, stepped into the role of Interim Executive Director in 2025, and now brings her proven leadership and experience to guiding the ministry forward. She leads with compassion, wisdom, and discernment, and we are grateful for the servant’s heart she demonstrates every day.

Sol Valerio

Empowering Lives Program Assistant

Sol Valerio joined Servant’s Heart Ministry in 2024 as a bilingual Empowering Lives Program Assistant, serving as a vital bridge for our Spanish-speaking participants. With warmth, compassion, and attentiveness, Sol helps ensure that language is never a barrier to receiving support and hope.

From the moment individuals walk through our doors, Sol meets them with kindness and understanding. She walks alongside participants during difficult seasons, helping connect them to essential resources and guiding them toward stability and renewed confidence. Her caring presence reflects the heart of our mission—serving every neighbor with dignity, respect, and love.

Ronnie Moore

Truck Driver

Since joining Servant’s Heart Ministry in 2022, Ronnie Moore has faithfully served as the steady hands behind the wheel of our weekly food pickups. Each week, he retrieves donated and purchased groceries from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and community partners including Aldi, Walmart, and Publix—ensuring that food arrives safely and on time for our weekly food deliveries.

Ronnie brings heart, dedication, and a genuine smile to everything he does. More than just transporting groceries, he helps carry out our mission with consistency and care, playing a vital role in bringing nourishment and hope to our neighbors in need.

James Weatherspoon

Warehouse Manager

James Weatherspoon has faithfully served Servant’s Heart Ministry since 2016, first as a volunteer and now as our Warehouse Manager. In this role, he leads every aspect of our busy warehouse operations. He organizes and directs the flow of incoming purchased and donated food, ensuring each item is sorted and stored, and prepared with safety and care.

He greets volunteer drivers who deliver weekly groceries and gathers updated information about our participants and their needs. He tracks incoming donations, oversees outgoing distributions, and monitors warehouse operations with precision—driving efficiency, accountability, and measurable impact.

James brings joy and enthusiasm to his service! He offers wisdom, steady counsel, and a true servant’s heart, strengthening both staff and volunteers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are you located?

1326 Spruce Avenue
Orlando, FL 32824

How do I contact Servant's Heart Ministry?

You can reach us by phone at 407-447-9022, email us at info@servantsheartministry.org or visit our Contact page for more details.

How are you different from a food bank?

We have volunteer drivers that deliver food weekly to those suffering food insecurity.

What areas do you serve?

We primarily serve families in Central Florida, but we work with community partners and organizations that help extend our reach.

How can I apply for the weekly food delivery program?

Please schedule an appointment on our calendar. We do not require any documentation. Food is free of charge, with no strings attached.

How can I get an emergency box of food?

Please schedule an appointment on our calendar. We do not require any documentation. Food is free of charge, with no strings attached.

What kind of food can I expect to receive?

We provide a variety of non-perishable items, fresh produce, dairy, and protein, depending on availability. We aim to offer nutritious and balanced food supplies.

What items are most needed for food donations?

Non-perishable items like canned goods, pasta, rice, peanut butter, and shelf-stable proteins.

Are you affiliated with a specific church?

No. We are a separate faith-based organization. We do receive donations from many churches in the community.

Are my donations tax-deductible?

Yes, Servant’s Heart Ministry is a registered 501c3 private, nonprofit organization, so all donations are tax-deductible.

What kind of volunteer opportunities do you offer?

We have a variety of serving opportunities from sorting, packing and delivering food to loading and unloading trucks.

Can my group or business volunteer?

Yes! We love hosting groups from churches, businesses, clubs and other organizations.