Ernie Conduff, LifeSource

Ernie Conduff is definitely an "All Star" in hunger relief. Ernie started with a small food pantry, run out of a spare closet at the church he attended in Northwest Arkansas. The need was bigger than food though.  There were so many sources of "hunger" in the lives of people that Ernie tried to help. So Ernie took a risk, resigned his job, and started LifeSource International in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

 Ernie is not just trying to cure the symptoms.  He and the growing team at LifeSource are working to change the causes of hunger. LifeSource is no longer just a food pantry. LifeSource takes a holistic approach to the problem of hunger. They offer adult education classes to help adults increase their work competencies. They offer counseling for adults and children, to help stop some of the behaviors that contribute to the poverty cycle and family disruption. They offer support to senior citizens, parenting classes, and mentoring and tutoring for school age children. In addition, LifeSource conducts an all day summer day camp for children. At the camp, children who would otherwise be home alone, eating whatever food is easy to fix are fed two meals a day.   And . . . the children have cooking and nutrition classes.The children are tutored in the primary school subjects, taken to summer activities that wealthy kids enjoy, go on field trips, and get attention from caring adults while their hard-working parents fight against the tide of hunger and poverty.

Ernie is not only stemming the tide of poverty and hunger happening now, but he and the organization he formed are also helping provide a bright future for people for whom there wasn't one before.