Elisabeth Omilami and Hosea Feed the Hungry

So I watch It's Wonderful Life and see how George Bailey takes over his father's business after his death. Trapped. But in the end, rich in his heart and soul because of it. And then I read about a woman named Elisabeth Williams-Omilami, who, with her husband Afemo Omilami, took over the Atlanta-based non-profit organization Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless upon the death of her father, civil rights legend Hosea Williams, six years ago. And since then, Elisabeth and Afemo have expanded the program to include not just a grand Thanksgiving dinner for thousands but also a stadium-sized dinner on Christmas Day, Martin Luther King Day and Easter.

Tonight's Christmas dinner is at Turner Field. But tomorrow, and every tomorrow after that, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless will continually provide food, shelter, clothing, job training, rent assistance and human resource referrals to poor and homeless individuals. Unlike George Bailey, however, Ms. Omilami has kept her personal ambition thriving all these years. As an actor, she appeared in the critically-acclaimed movie Glory Road and in many other stage and screen roles and will soon appear in The List, a movie with Denzel Washington.


Update 1/13/07: I talked with Ms. Omilami because a few questions were nagging at me. Was there a moment when she knew this is what she needed to be doing? Did she have doubts? What legacy did her parents leave her? How has she found her own way?

"Did I know I could do it?" she laughed. "I didn't even know enough to doubt I could do it! My father, who was vibrant and volatile, and my mother, so opposite, so quiet and patient, speak to me and tell me that there is power in the poor and that people deserve to be helped. I don't need to do everything--there are so many people that help with this organization. I just need to get them the things they need in order to do the work. My father never had anything in his hands when he said he was going to do something, and I find I'm that way, too."

And here is the Stone in the Pond part:

"I start dreaming long before stuff happens," Ms. Omilami shared. "For instance, right now I dream of having an apartment building for poor and homeless people as part of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. As I can get people to believe along with me, although they may not see the substance of it just yet, then things will start to appear, and it will happen as it is meant to happen. And I believe we will have an apartment building.

Finally, I asked the question I was truly wanting to know, that we all want to know about ourselves in some way, shape or form.

"Is this where you are meant to be?" I barely muttered, thinking of George Bailey, wondering if he ever truly fulfilled his purpose in life.

Ms. Omilami's response was quick and sure.

"No," she answered. "I haven't gotten there yet. It feels good to say that. But I know this part of the journey is meant to be. And so I trust."

Ms. Omilami told me that when she first took over the organization, she tried to listen to what the people were telling her they needed and then to develop the programs to meet those needs. That's how it has grown and continues to evolve. And, as a result, that's how she keeps growing and evolving.

I want to give a special thanks to Ms. Omilami. I am deeply moved by the honesty I felt in our conversation and her willingness to truly let go and let God.

To find out more about Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, go to www.hoseafeedthehungry.com.