By Kaylen Alvarez
What does it mean to restore a city? To 43-year-old Mike Francisco, restoration involves the rehabilitation of unity, repairing of infrastructure, and caring for the community.
Three years ago, Francisco had a new calling on his life. The wine manufacturer was led to start a ministry on wheels, and in good faith, he answered that call with the determination to turn skateboarders into humble servants. Every Saturday, he rolls through downtown with other skateboarders, feeding the homeless.
“It’s not even about the food,” Francisco said. “It’s about breaking bread with them, and spending time with them, giving them a sense of their humanity back.”
Francisco’s ministry, Restore, strives to meet the needs of this overlooked demographic in the Tampa Bay area. According to statistics from the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, there are at least 1,650 homeless men, women, and children living in Tampa.
Although Restore started with straight street ministry, it has flourished into a spiritual revival for the skateboarding youth.
“We started by just asking skateboarders to feed the homeless,” Francisco said. “And then through that, we started going to skate parks and seeing the need of just hope and the peace and love of Jesus.”
Along with their Saturday ventures, Restore now meets every Tuesday night at Jackson Springs Skate Park in Tampa. They provide food and beverages for the young and hungry skaters. Francisco and his team of volunteers have become like big brother for many of them, sharing the gospel through relationship.
Francisco likes to believe that serving the homeless and skating with the youth go hand in hand, often emphasizing on the idea of being a “do-er of the word.” Also, put simply, actions speak louder than words.
As for the future of Restore, the goal is to reach more parks and more people.
“Restore has changed my life drastically, and a lot of people think that I’m crazy, but I’m just doing what God wants me to do. He uses the most unlikely people in the Bible, and he’s continuing to do that now.”
For now, Francisco works his regular 9-5, making time for ministry with any spare time he’s afforded. His dream is for Restore to grow into a full-fledged band of skaters, eager to serve their community, passionate in sharing the love of God.
