'Like grandma's kitchen': Epps Center preps to feed the homeless for Thanksgiving

In a little kitchen swimming with the succulent smell of ribs, collard greens and potato salad, Pastor Sylvia Tisdale was gearing up for one of the busiest weeks of her year.

Tisdale and a few helpers were about to head into several days of nearly round-the-clock cooking to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for more than 500 needy families — while still preparing free daily breakfasts for the community's homeless and hungry.

It was mid-November, and regular operations had already taken a big bite out of the pantry. While Tisdale was pretty well stocked up on turkeys and hams, she was running low on canned goods and hoping for donations.

"This is where I look to the community to help me make up the difference," Tisdale said. 

More:WATCH: Pensacola Epps Christian Center helps those in need

More:Sylvia Tisdale feeds the homeless and needy of Escambia County

Tisdale, 68, is the founder of Epps Christian Center, a Pensacola nonprofit that has been a lifeline for local folks in need for more than a decade. Her ministry, located at 2300 N. Pace Blvd., provides hot, fresh meals made with love, and this holiday she’ll be cooking up turkey, ham, dressing and all the fixings.

“We just want to be able to lift them up a little bit with a good meal,” Tisdale said of her clientele.

The biggest issue is that the level of need just keeps growing, and Tisdale said she needs the community's help to keep pace.

"I really see more folks coming in every day," Tisdale said. "I see the need. People think it's all people who are on drugs or something, but it's a lot of older people who are trying to make it on that little Social Security check. You've got to be in it to see it, but it's getting worse."

Epps Christian Center is a small organization, run largely by Tisdale, her niece, Laura Franklin, and community volunteers. The women are at the center every day at 4 a.m., making breakfast with hopes of making people's lives a little better.

Gulf Power recently awarded Epps Christian Center with a grant through its "Amplify" program, which helped Tisdale purchase computers and bring in volunteer Jennifer Tompkins to help clients find housing assistance, request ID cards, apply for jobs and aid and receive other social services.

Tisdale has been applying for grants to add a walk-in freezer to her building. Estimating the full project would cost $18,000 to $22,000, Tisdale said the freezer would keep her from having to scramble to cook or give away everything immediately when she got a big delivery from the food bank.

The center sells lunch plates on Fridays to raise funds, and regular customer Gary Brantley has been coming in for years.

"I've known Pastor Tisdale for over 10 years," Brantley said. "I know she's doing good for the community and the people who need help."

He added the building and the ministry had become iconic in the neighborhood.

"People know to come here and they're comfortable here. It's almost like grandma's kitchen."

Helping out:Pine Forest students built 10 picnic tables for Epps Christian Center homeless ministry

Despite the heavy workload ahead of her and the low stock in her cupboard, Tisdale was spry, energetic and cheerful. 

With an infectious grin, she flexed her right bicep and patted it with her other hand. She said all the work would get done this year, and next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, just as it had for the past 13 years.

"I'm still happy, and I’ve still got my muscles,” Tisdale said. “People ask, ‘What’s going to happen to the ministry if something happens to you?’ Well, nothing’s going to happen to me, I’m going to be here. This is my life. My purpose. My passion.”

Kevin Robinson can be reached at krobinson4@pnj.com or 850-435-8527.