Murphy – A local man’s program called Murphy Meals is helping hungry people in and out of the homeless shelter.
Johnny Walker was born in New York in 1978 and moved to Cherokee County in 2019. He has spent time in a couple of homeless shelters along his journey in life, including the Murphy Homeless Shelter, also known as the Hurlburt-Johnson Friendship House.
Through volunteering, hard work, dedication and time, Walker built trust and formed relationships that led him to where he is today as the shelter’s assistant manager.
He worked at ShoeBooties Cafe downtown for a stint, learning a number of different tasks within the restaurant business. After work, he would watch cooking shows to learn as much as he could about food and preparation.
Walker eventually left the restaurant, but that knowledge followed him. He began attending Free Methodist Church and helping out when there was a need. He also got baptized.
Through his job, Walker realized food was being donated to the shelter for residents, but there were still plenty of hungry people outside of its walls. So he started a program that would allow him to prepare meals not only for shelter residents, but for other people in need.
“I had the idea that I could take this donated food that some people couldn’t cook, create a meal and serve it to the community,” he said.
The new program has been active for just over a month, but food donations are coming in from local restaurants like The General Ledger in Blue Ridge, Ga., which Walker said has supplied generous amounts of quality foods. He is also receiving help from Murphy First Baptist Church.
He gratefully uses the shelter’s facilities to help with preparing meals and serves them daily.
“I’m trying to feed the single mother and other people who can’t stay at the shelter. It’s a resource for these people,” Walker said.
The program is intended to help anyone who needs a little extra assistance with food. His idea stemmed from his desire to give back to the community in thankfulness for the help he’s received when times were difficult.
Walker also has a podcast that airs on YouTube and Facebook called “Rise Through Redemption,” which is about finding real-life solutions to real-life problems. It airs at 7 p.m. Mondays.
“It’s about how my life has gotten better through the redemption of Jesus Christ,” he said.
“I’m just thankful for my relationships with pastor Tim Huff, Peggy White and all of the other people who have made my life a blessing.”
Walker also plans to assist Murphy First United Methodist Church with a meals program known as the Soul Table.
Details: Call 828-644-8400 and visit murphyfirstumc.org/soul-table.