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Louella Thompson had a dream when she started the Feed the Hungry Mission in 1987 — but to keep that dream alive, her successors have begun to use methods very different from the founder's.

Thompson balked at the notion of accepting government grants to maintain her mission because that might have forced her to turn people away, a thought she could not bear.

New rules

The new leaders of Feed the Hungry have not turned anyone away, said Stephen Hightower, an adviser to the board. However, with Thompson gone and impossible to replace, the Dream Center must be run more like a business, he said.

For instance, signs posted inside the Dream Center, the mission headquarters at 834 Yankee Road, tell visitors they must give their name and address to receive a meal, to keep Feed the Hungry in compliance with regulations for nonprofit organizations.

"She used prayer, and prayer worked for her," Hightower said of Thompson. "She was special in being able to do that. We take more of a business approach to maintaining the Dream Center. We're looking for grants, missions, corporate donors and we need the friends of the Dream Center."

For the mission's clothing donations, there are safeguards in place to ensure that people don't take unfair advantage, Hightower said.

While this more structured approach might run counter to Thompson's simpler philosophies, the mission remains the same.

"We look at what the outcomes were intended to be: feeding the hungry and clothing the unclothed and providing spiritual nourishment," he said.

'Nobody cared'

When Hightower arrived at the Dream Center in the spring of 2006, the mission was at a low ebb, with the power about to be shut off and the insurance about to be canceled because Feed the Hungry was starved for money, he said.

After Thompson's health began to decline around 2000, support for the mission gradually faded. Thompson passed away in 2005.

"It broke my heart that the support was not there. I presume there was a lack of confidence with the management structure, and the nonprofit community had no confidence in the Dream Center," Hightower said. "It was getting ready to go away and nobody cared."

Hightower went to work, assembling a new board almost completely from scratch. The president of that board is Deborah Patterson, who, as it happens, works in the hairdressing business, as Thompson did. In fact, she worked in Thompson's salon briefly in the 1980s, but Patterson did not know her well.

"I'm excited about the

new approach. I think it's

great. We're not looking at changing things she started; that's not our goal. Our goal is to meet the need," Patterson said.

One person who did know Thompson well is Leola Harvey, who has been associated with Feed the Hungry for several years and remains on the board.

While she misses Thompson's personal approach, she recognizes that change has to happen to keep Feed the Hungry afloat.

"We have to look at it

like this: Mrs. Thompson is gone. She talked about her dream and people loved that

and kept the dream going ...

it looks like what's happening is the only way to get money

is to operate like a business," she said, applauding Hightower's efforts on behalf of the mission.

"We want to keep the place as hers , but we have do it in a different way," Harvey said.

The Dream is still alive

Some of the new initiatives include the hiring of a manager, Cheryl Campbell, who runs the day-to-day operations of the Dream Center, while Etta Caver, the executive director, handles financial and administrative tasks.

Hightower said the goal was to operate the Dream Center on an annual budget of $120,000 — which means the board will look for donations larger than the $5 or $10 they had been getting.

Saturday's gala with Middletown native and NFL standout Cris Carter sold out, with ticket prices of $40.

Campbell said the Dream Center serves an average of 45 to 60 people a day, and the people there late last week were glad to have someone helping them.

"I think it's very convenient for people who don't have much," said Seletta Wilson, who moved to Middletown from Hamilton.

"I don't come here much,

but when I do, it's help-

ful," said Ben McCullough

of Middletown. "It's helpful to the whole community, from what I can see. This is where you come to get something to eat."

Although there are new rules, the organization's heart isn't, Hightower said.

"There will never be another Louella Thompson, but we're trying to keep her dream alive."

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.