Betty Anne Ford and Nancy Newell started a program for inner-city children that has grown far beyond their expectations. The seed for Loaves and Fishes began when Ford, then the tennis coach at Peace College, noticed young children who walked past the courts daily, looking for something to do. She began tossing tennis balls to them, thus beginning a summer day camp that turned into a year-round, after-school program.

Loaves and Fishes quickly became the most important part of their lives. Not only was it their careers, but the children, the children’s parents, and volunteers became their family.

Ford and Newell bought a home close to Halifax Court, an inner city Raleigh housing project where most of the Loaves and Fishes children lived. They were undeterred by the violence that often occurred at Halifax Court, often intervening to protect the children and give them safe haven in their home.

Loaves and Fishes developed like the children who participated in it, growing every year to allow students to remain in the program. Some students participated for up to 12 years, and many of them regularly visit, or volunteer, years after “graduation.”

In the process of helping children, Ford and Newell also helped affluent, white volunteers understand the plight of people who live in poverty. They are committed to racial reconciliation and understanding.