Joe Bellino is living proof that anyone can change for the better. Bellino is the CEO of From the King Ministries, a program that provides food to food banks and other organizations throughout Pennsylvania as well as in neighboring states. His organization also provides food for distribution at Elizabethtown First Church of God, 144 S. Market St., on Sundays.

Although Bellino started his ministry seven years ago, he wasn't always of that mindset.

"I'm a recovering addict," he said. "I've been clean over 30 years. I have been on my own since I was 13 years old, and I grew up in a lot of violence. I have been homeless because of drugs, and I've stolen food when I needed to."

After getting clean, Bellino wanted to help others. He got involved with Celebrate Recovery at Elizabethtown First Church of God, and it was his lightbulb moment.

"They always have a meal at their meetings, and I started bringing in food," he recalled. He began talking to people about donating food, and soon he had much more than he needed.

"God provided me with an opportunity to help people who were in the same boat or worse than I was once," he stated. "There were people who helped me back in the day, and they will never know how much they have done for me. The only way I could think to repay them was to help other people like they helped me."

Bellino's ministry has grown largely through word of mouth.

"I have a big mouth and I like to talk to people," he said with a laugh. "I hand my card out to everyone."

He currently works with a trucking company in East Berlin that provides refrigerated trailers free of charge for storage, and he delivers food in his own 20-foot box truck. He is working on finding a warehouse space to permanently house his ministry, and said the organization relies heavily on donations from the community, churches and other organizations.

"I really don't turn anything down," he stated, noting that he accepts household items as well as food. "We recently received a very large donation of new bed frames."

While his main focus is providing help to people in central Pennsylvania, he has delivered food as far away as New Jersey, New York and Florida.

Bellino relies on a team of volunteers to help run his ministry. "Some of our best volunteers started out as somebody coming out needing some help, and they are now helping other people," he remarked. "It's amazing to see how this is changing people's lives."

For more information on From the King Ministries, readers may visit http://www.facebook.com/FromtheKingMinistries or https://fromthekingministries.com.