Feeding families, housing the homeless and creating second chances since 1979.
Our Story Give Hope TodayWe Believe in Second Chances
Every life matters. Every life can change.
The Encounter is a non-profit 501(c)(3), founded in 1979 with the help of the Billy Graham Ministry. What began as a prison ministry has grown into a ministry that feeds, houses and restores. Our kitchen serves 2,000 meals a month to neighbors facing hunger and homelessness, the Florida GPS-Book helps people find their way home after prison, and we are working to build a three-acre Community Restoration Campus with a Market Place, housing, job training and greenhouses.
LOVE GOD • LOVE PEOPLE • MAKE DISCIPLES
Our Story
47 years of ministry, one life at a time. Click any banner to learn more.
Get Involved
Feed the hungry. House the homeless. Create good jobs. Here's how you can help.
Be Part of the Mission
Some people see a need. Others become the reason that need is met.
Support Our Mission
Share the Gospel on Florida's prison yards, update the GPS-Book, walk alongside men and women coming home, and serve the meals our kitchen provides every month.
Give Hope TodayIn Pushpay, choose the Our Mission fund.
Help Build the Vision
Help purchase and develop the three-acre Community Restoration Campus: a Market Place, community kitchen, housing, job training and greenhouses.
Help Restore LivesIn Pushpay, choose the Community Restoration Campus fund.
Give once or set up a monthly gift.
Prefer to give by check? Make it payable to The Encounter and write Mission or Campus in the memo line. Mail to P.O. Box 730772, Ormond Beach, FL 32173.
The Encounter is a 501(c)(3); gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Serve with us
Feed Our Neighbors
Help prepare freeze-dried meals for families and neighbors experiencing homelessness at our kitchen in Holly Hill. New volunteers start with orientation on a Monday; email us and we'll send the address and details.
Volunteer in the KitchenShare hope
Join a Prison Yard Crusade
Bring worship, testimony and the Gospel onto a Florida prison yard. Next crusade: Nov. 6–7, 2026.
See Crusade DatesWant to stay connected? Become a member at no cost.
1979: The Encounter Prison Yard Crusade
47 Years of Hope Behind Prison Walls
The Encounter was established in 1979 as Inmate Encounter, with the assistance of the Billy Graham Ministry. Since then we have carried the Gospel of Jesus Christ into Florida's prisons, jails, juvenile centers and streets.
Our prison yard crusades bring faith, mentorship and a path to restoration directly to the men and women inside, one yard and one life at a time.
2007: Inmate Reentry
Helping One Inmate at a Time
The first days after release are the hardest. In 2007 we began meeting men and women at the prison gate and walking with them into a new life.
- Meeting inmates at the gate on release day
- Providing clothing, shelter and food
- Mentoring, planning and connecting to employment
Helping Florida prisoners rebuild their lives, one at a time.
A Story of Reentry
The Story of James
After serving 24 years in a Florida prison, James was without hope or help and had no place to go. The Encounter placed James in a transitional facility and guided him along his journey.
Transitioning lives, one person at a time.
A Story of Restoration
From Prison to a New Life and Career
“They don't just help you get out of prison. They help you build a life worth living.”
Kyle E.
When I was getting ready to leave prison, I knew I wanted to make something of my life. But wanting a second chance and knowing how to get there are two different things. That's where The Encounter came in.
Before my release, a mentor from The Encounter encouraged me and helped me believe I could succeed. When I got out, they helped me into a reentry home so I could start rebuilding.
I found work at a commercial linen company and volunteered in The Encounter's community kitchen and at special events. Along the way I finished probation, earned my driver's license and got pay raises. Every step was celebrated, even the small ones.
When a much better job opened up with a larger company in upstate New York, The Encounter helped me get there, with my interview flight, my move and rent while I got settled.
Today I have a great job, a home in a beautiful neighborhood and a future I'm excited about. I worked hard to get here, but I couldn't have done it without people who believed in me and opened doors I couldn't open myself.
Restored will give many more people like Kyle a safe place to start, real work to do and a community that believes in them.
From Homelessness to Hope
Starting Over from Ground Zero
“I'll never forget walking out of those woods into a safe home with a clean room and a real bed.”
Jean, with her son David
David and I never imagined we would end up homeless, living in the woods in Ormond Beach. We had lost almost everything. Every day was about surviving and wondering what would happen next.
When David was arrested for trespassing at our campsite, someone at the jail gave me The Encounter's phone number. At first they said they couldn't help, because we needed housing for two. I pleaded with them: David and I could share one room, and we wouldn't waste the chance. Thankfully, they said yes.
The Encounter moved us into Restoration House. To me, that safe room and real bed were unconditional love.
From there we started rebuilding. We both found jobs, qualified for rental assistance, bought a car and, within a year, moved into a home of our own.
We started with nothing but hope. Someone believed in us when we had nowhere else to turn, and I'll always be grateful for our second chance.
2010: In-Prison Mentoring & Education
Marion & Tomoka Correctional Institutions
Lasting change starts before release. Our institutional progression model works alongside prison programs to prepare each person for successful reentry.
- Programs: cognitive behavioral therapy, life skills, accountability
- Education: GED, vocational and job training, life skills
- Chaplaincy: mentorship, character and faith
- RWP Institutional Phase leading to the Encounter Reentry Campus: structured housing, educational attainment, victim awareness, workforce development, supervision and accountability, mentorship and support
The goal: successful reentry and reduced recidivism.
Collaborative. Accountable. Proven.
2019: The Florida GPS-Book
God's Precious Sources
The GPS-Book is a resource directory covering all 67 Florida counties, with over 11,000 listings for churches, shelters, employment, clothing, food, treatment programs and more. Over 10,000 copies have been delivered.
- Find housing and shelter
- Get food assistance
- Locate job and employment services
- Access healthcare and support groups
- Connect with ministries and churches
Distributed to homeless shelters, juvenile detention, rehab centers, prison classification and chaplaincy, reentering citizens and churches. Organizations that serve returning citizens are welcome to be listed: email info@inmateencounter.com.
2025: Commercial Kitchen / Freeze-Dry
Commercial Kitchen, Reentering Citizens, Community Service, Volunteers
Our commercial kitchen feeds 2,000 meals a month to neighbors facing food insecurity, including the homeless, through freeze-dried food production, with reentering citizens and volunteers working side by side.
- Housing
- Community service
- GPS resources
- Workforce training
- Faith and restoration
Inside our kitchen
Food Drops & Partner Homes
In Our Partners' Words
Restoration House
“The Encounter's food donations help sustain residents who often can't afford basic necessities. Beyond groceries, they stay personally invested in the people they refer, with transportation, mentorship and practical help, walking alongside them until they're ready to live independently.”
Second Chance Collective, Inc.
“We welcome men coming home from Florida's prisons, many with little more than the clothes they're wearing. The Encounter's dependable weekly food deliveries provide nutritious meals and relieve financial pressure as our residents work toward stability and independence.”
Victory House
“The Encounter has partnered with Victory House for many years, supporting our reentry work with food, furniture and other essentials, and trusting us to house men they help reenter. They also help feed our monthly open-house barbecues for residents and neighbors.”
Volusia/Flagler County Coalition
“Our yearlong assistance program helps local individuals overcome challenges and build a path to self-sufficiency. The Encounter's weekly deliveries of wholesome groceries give our residents nutritious food so they can focus on building a more stable future.”
2026: The Encounter Community Restoration Campus
Restoring Lives. Strengthening Families. Serving Communities.
Our 2026 initiative is to purchase and develop a 3-acre campus that will serve as a hub for feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, training the workforce, supporting returning citizens and preparing for disaster relief, all while sharing the hope of Jesus Christ.
- Repurposed (Donated Goods. Greater Purpose.): donated goods sales and consignment that help fund the ministry.
- Market Place (Good Food. Greater Purpose.): fresh produce, groceries and affordable food for local families.
- Preserved (Faith, Harvest, Community): freeze-dried food production and disaster preparedness.
- The Table (Everyone Has a Seat.): community kitchen, meals for the hungry and workforce training.
- Restored (Second Chances. Greater Purpose.): transitional housing, case management, classrooms and a chapel.
- Rooted (Grown with Purpose.): greenhouses and gardens growing food year-round.
Every Life Matters. Every Life Can Change.
Be Part of Our Vision — The Community Restoration Campus
We also invite Volusia County residents to become involved in the planning and development of our proposed Community Restoration Campus, an exciting initiative designed to address food insecurity, create opportunities, restore lives, and strengthen our community.
As this vision moves forward, we plan to host quarterly public meetings where community members can learn about the project, participate in discussions about local needs, explore volunteer and employment opportunities, attend training sessions, and receive updates on campus development and future operations.
Whether you have professional experience, practical skills, a willingness to volunteer, or simply a desire to make a difference, we welcome your participation in helping shape this important community initiative.
Your Time. Your Talents. Your Community. Your Opportunity to Make a Difference.
In Pushpay, choose the Community Restoration Campus fund.
2026: The Market Place
Good Food. Greater Purpose.
The Market Place is part of our 2026 Community Restoration Campus initiative: a dignified approach to the growing epidemic of food insecurity, and the middle ground between food banks and retail stores.
- Fresh produce and groceries
- Affordable food options
- Support for local families
- Job training opportunities
In Pushpay, choose the Community Restoration Campus fund.