WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Mission of Winter Haven has grown to be an important fabric of the community. It’s been serving homeless and needy people since 1977. David Berry has served as its executive director since 2005 along with his wife Arlene, who is the deputy director.

What You Need To Know

  • David and Arlene Berry have served at The Mission of Winter Haven since 2005

  • David knew The Mission was where he wanted to be after bringing youth group members to volunteer

  • The Berry's have greatly expanded the services offered at The Mission

  • About 150 people volunteer at The Mission each month

David and Arlene were serving as youth pastors and brought some of their youth group members to The Mission to do volunteer work. During that visit, something clicked with David. “Yeah, the minute I walked in the door. I knew this is where I wanted to be,” said Berry.

David and Arlene started as volunteers at The Mission and then eventually began their leadership roles. They have greatly expanded the services over the years. They have employees and about 150 people who volunteer each month.

The couple has done a remarkable job selling the ministry to the community.

“Well, selling a vision, yes. But not by me. By the people,” said Berry. “The people we serve. When people see the changes in the people in the community, that makes them want to see what is going on.”

But running a place like The Mission can be overwhelming. It’s not a nine-to-five job. In 2019, David felt burned out and submitted his resignation. But people in the community came to his aid. They sent David and Arlene on a sabbatical in the mountains. They came back refreshed and resumed their work.

“I have learned in this community it’s not what you know. It’s not who you know, but how you know them. And I’ve learned that success falls and rises on relationships,” said Berry.

Since that experience, Berry has learned to share his struggles with other people, including some of the people The Mission serves.

He once told a man who had dealt with addiction how he was feeling. “Sometimes this may sound really, really bad — sometimes I wish I had an addiction to blame for what I feel and what I do. He looked at me and said, ‘If I ever hear you say those words again, I will personally kick your tail. You are blessed to be where you are and you have people that love you. You have hard days. We all do. That’s life. Get over it.’”