If it wasn't for the Little Rock Compassion Center, Ron Johnson says he'd be dead.
"I know for a fact that I'd be dead right now," Johnson, who works as a cook at the West Roosevelt Road mission, said Sunday. "But God saved me, and I have a family here."
After 25 years of wasting his life, Johnson said, he came to the mission at first not knowing how to cook. But on Easter, he was helping dish out meals to some 175 attendees who gathered at the center, which offered a holiday church service, lunch and dinner for its 24th straight year.
"We see people that have turned and walked away from God come back to God," William Holloway, pastor at the center, said. "And we've seen others who've never known God have the opportunity to meet him, so it changes their life."
The loss of a job, a death in the family, divorce and other lasting issues typically bring people to the center, Holloway said. And "if we can catch them within the first few months of being homeless, we can help turn that around and get them back on their feet."
In a typical week, the Little Rock Compassion Center usually serves more than 600 meals and provides shelter for 200 homeless Arkansans per night, Holloway said.
One who helps make that happen is John Steward, a volunteer at the center. Steward said it's the people who keep him coming back to serve.
"It's an enjoyable group and a positive group to work with," Steward said. "They're not only helping people, feeding people, but they're also preaching the gospel and also taking care of people spiritually, helping people get jobs."
Lisa Dusenbery, a homeless woman who came to the center Sunday for lunch, said if it wasn't for the center she would "starve to death."
"People don't realize, when you're homeless, you have no concept of time," she said.
Charles Fletcher, a center resident and member of its drug and alcohol program, said he found family after he had "lost everything" and entered an intensive care unit for addiction.
His neighbor happened to be an assistant pastor and referred him to the center. Fletcher said he has been clean since.
"Like the Bible says, God is not going to give you something that you can't handle," he said. "At the time, you can't; you're gonna be like, 'I can't handle this.' You can; you're just not doing it the right way ... It'll take time but you will."