CINCINNATI -- An Over-the-Rhine soup kitchen reopened Monday, a week after a man was shot and killed inside the packed facility.
Police said Robert Jacobs, 43, walked into Our Daily Bread around 8:45 a.m. on Jan. 9 and began shooting. Deante Mattocks, 28, died at the scene. A woman, whose identity police have not released, was hospitalized but is expected to recover from her injuries.
RELATED: PD: One man dead, one woman injured after shooting in Our Daily Bread soup kitchen
Our Daily Bread’s reopening coincided with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day “as a visible reminder that violence does not stop love,” the facility said in a release.
Georgine Getty, executive director for Our Daily Bread, said guests and volunteers can expect changes in security measures.
Two security guards were present at the facility Monday to help guests feel safe again.
“We have instituted new security measures to help preserve the safety of all within our doors,” Getty said. “We thank our guests and volunteers for their patience with the new system, and mourn with them the need for this in our home.”
Getty said the staff is prepared to get back to work, and they are determined to uphold the mission of the organization despite the recent tragedy.
“Words cannot express how difficult this past week has been, and how much we have missed doing what we do -- providing food and safety for everyone who needs us,” Getty said.
Reverend Peterson Mingo agreed Our Daily Bread has always been about “people helping people.”
“There’s a lot of things that go on out in the streets, but this community has a house of safety, and it’s called Our Daily Bread,” Mingo said.
Mingo also applauded the soup kitchen’s volunteers.
“They’ll never get the credit they deserve, and so we thank God for you, we’ll work hand-in-hand with you, and just keep loving, keep caring, because that’s what our city needs right now, more love,” Mingo said.
Mattocks’ aunt Crystal said her nephew will be deeply missed.
“I came on behalf of my sister, who lost her son, my nephew, just to say he was a good man ... Deante was very laid back, slow to anger, he wasn’t a violent person at all,” she said.
She also called on the community to stop the senseless violence.
“I just ask that all this violence please stop,” she said. “You don’t know really how it feels until it hits your home. You feel for others, but you really don’t know how it feels until it actually hits your home.
“Our family is going to have a void in their life because Deante is not there. So please, just stop it. Just stop the violence.”
Getty took the reopening ceremony to thank those who assisted the facility after the shooting, including the Greater Cincinnati soup kitchen community, Cincinnati police officers, trauma specialists, staff and volunteers and the Model Group who helped with security measures.
“Together we have rebuilt Our Daily Bread, and it will continue to be a beacon of love for all who need us,” she said.
