Before you discard the old, why not take some time to see if that “something old” is something someone can still use? Do you have clothes that don’t fit? Are you taking a step of faith and expecting your current clothes to be too big soon? Do you have extra blankets? Too many shoes? Too many coats? Canned foods that are sitting around unused? Too many cars? Donating to the Mission is a great way of making space for new things in your home or business, not to mention, you’ll help meet someone’s needs. Not all of us are able to donate money but many of us have extra things, extra clothing, extra food (that can of beans you know you will never use) that we can probably do without. Donate it to the Mission and help us clothe, feed, and give hope to others.
Doreen
School’s almost out and summer is upon us! Time for sunshine, smiles, and laughter! You are vital to helping bring that to many here in our community. There has been a time in everyone’s life when they could use the help of another; something as simple as an ear willing to listen, to lend a hand with a project, or just to know that you are there for them. The Rescue Mission is that ear, hand, and place that cares for so many in our community. With your help, you can be that too.
By giving your time with volunteering, your donations of clothes, food, or household items, you can make a difference to so many in need. Currently, there are donation needs for towels, backpacks, all sizes of baby diapers, and school supplies. And clothes, always clothes! Summer clothes would be great; everybody likes to wear shorts when the sun is shining! So when you’re cleaning out those closets or making room in your children’s dresser for new school clothes, what a great way to teach your kids that helping others is the greatest feeling! Not everyone has the same privileges they do and by donating the things they don’t need anymore, they could be putting a smile on someone else’s face.
Here in the Need a Break Program we have a new intern, Me! My name is Cheryl and I just want to tell all of you how lucky and blessed I feel to be working with this organization. The things we do here for so many people is truly amazing. The positive and encouraging environment that they approach everything with has helped even me. I hope you take the opportunity to take a minute to check us out and help another who really needs you.
Last Saturday was a special day for the children at Adams and Tyler. Thanks to some special volunteers, the kids and their families were able to come to the Need-A-Break Warehouse and pick out some new clothes, which happens once a month. The volunteers, Christine, Dori, and her daughter Alexa, spent the afternoon sorting through numerous bins of clothing that had been donated to the mission and were therefore able to distribute the clothing to the children.
When asked what the mission meant to them and why they volunteer, Dori, a volunteer who learned of the opportunity through Facebook, replied, “The Mission means many things to me, but most importantly it offers a ray of hope for so many in our community that may not have any other options for their most basic needs. It is important for me to volunteer because I know that if I was ever in that situation, I would want someone there for me. I truly believe that every person in our community deserves a second chance and an opportunity to better their life, regardless of their circumstances.” She also enjoys being able to teach her daughter Alexa that, “life is not all about things, but also about time. Time spent making a difference even if only a small one.”
When asked the same question, Christine replied, “Jesus gave us the parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:31-46 and I want to find myself among the sheep and with the Shepherd. I enjoy doing what I can to try and make some sort of difference in the world and hope to find more opportunities to give of my time and talents.”
To see the smiles on the children’s faces as they were picking out a new pair of shoes or a new summer dress made it all that much more worthwhile. So again, if you find yourself wanting to do more and get involved with the mission, please visit our volunteer website at http://www.rescue-mission.org/volunteer.
Getting to spend an afternoon in the warehouse, just hanging out, observing what was going on around me made me really stop and think about life and what a blessing not only the Need-A-Break Program is, but the Rescue Mission is in general. After being founded in 1912 to serve homeless men in Tacoma, almost 100 years later it has expanded to serve women and children as well, in all parts of Pierce County. This could not have been possible without much help and support from staff, volunteers, and outside organizations. I was able to meet some of the guys who work and volunteer in the warehouse, who are enrolled in some of the various programs that are offered through the Rescue Mission, and I was both surprised and rewarded. I was surprised by how young they were and I felt rewarded that I was able to meet people who had chosen to get help and to take the right steps towards getting their lives turned around.
The Rescue Mission serves more than 1,800 healthy, nutritious meals monthly to people who would otherwise go hungry, provides shelter to more than 450 people every night, and helps people in all parts of Pierce County, including Fife, Lakewood, Puyallup-Sumner and Tacoma. I have had the opportunity to sit down and have lunch with some of the families staying at Adam’s and it was a wonderful feel-good experience. To see the smiles on the kid’s and mother’s faces as they interacted with each other over a hot meal was something that will stick with me forever.
Not only does the Rescue Mission provide food and shelter for people in need but there are also a variety of different programs that are offered through the Rescue Mission including drug and alcohol rehabilitation services for both men and women through the New Life Program; tutoring and support services for children through the Youth Program; and free skills training, resume assistance, GED preparation and learning assistance at the Challenge Learning Center.
Therefore, there are so many opportunities that many people have been able to utilize and get their lives turned around and headed in the right direction through the Rescue Mission. Without these programs, support, and facilities, many people would not be able to get the help they need. Aside from donating to the warehouse, you can donate your time and smiles to help out. There are a number of different volunteer opportunities including serving meals in the Good Neighbor Café, helping with after school programs at the Tyler and Adams St. Family Campuses, teaching classes, cleaning, yard work, custodial work, organizing a family fun night at the Adam’s St. Family Campus, or helping out in our donation center. In addition, there are seasonal opportunities for Musicians to play for the dinners at the Downtown and Adam’s Campuses. For more detail on how to get involved, please visit our volunteer page at http://www.rescue-mission.org/volunteer and find out how you can get involved today! Also, be sure to take advantage of our TEXT2GIVE program where you text GIVEBACK to 85944 & reply YES to confirm a gift of $10 to the Rescue Mission. On average, it costs $1.87 to serve one meal, think about how tummy’s can be fed with $10.00!
Spring is officially here! As you are all enjoying the sunshine and anxiously awaiting the warmer weather to come, start thinking about what specifically goes on in the springtime and what you are looking forward to within the next couple months. Easter is coming up as well as Mother's day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, and potentially graduations and other fun springtime festivities. What are some things one might need or want to participate in these events and what are some ways you can help? Have you pulled out your spring clothing to find that you have outgrown them or shed one too many holiday pounds? If so, congratulations and how rewarding would it be to bring the clothing down to the warehouse for others! In addition to clothing, perhaps during family get-togethers or even just for fun on a sunny day to enjoy with friends and family, footballs, basketballs, and frisbees are easy to toss around and tons of fun. Also, with Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up, art supplies are always needed at the Challenge Center Art Room and especially now for the kids to make crafts at the After School Program.
Another thing to start thinking about is that summer is right around the corner and the weather is warming up! Grant Elementary recently did a sock drive and donated tons of socks that will keep lots of feet nice and warm. In preparation for the warmer weather, what about a hat drive so that people are able to keep the sun off their faces or sunglasses or even sunscreen? What about flip-flops or beach towels? Keep in mind that while it may be many more months before the sun is here to stay, it is never too early to start preparing. However, in addition to warmer weather items, canned food, school supplies, raincoats, belts, backpacks, bedding, and alarm clocks are always in high demand and donations are always greatly appreciated.
Toiletries and household products are another thing that are always needed. From toothpaste to shampoo to deodorant, the warehouse can always use these items no matter what season it is. Think about how fast it feels like you go through deodorant or shampoo and how often you are running to the store because you ran out of soap or detergent. While we do not accept used toiletries and household products, often times items are sold in bulk and if you have extra laying around that you may have already bought to stock up, bring them down!
So while you are enjoying your springtime festivities and cleaning out the house and getting excited for summertime and warmer weather, remember that many arenʼt able to live the same way you are and there are always ways you can help! If you have any questions about an item or how to donate, you can contact the Need-A-Break program office at 253-284-4282.
What is your favorite thing about the Rescue Mission? What does the Rescue Mission do or offer that you are most passionate about? Maybe it’s the fact we feed over 800 meals a day to the hungry of Pierce County, or the Youth program with all of the love that is poured into children daily. The New Life Program makes life transformational changes in clients where the good news of Jesus is centered in everything. Our Family Campuses offer parenting, finance, Bible, management, and life skill classes. Every day at the Rescue Mission it’s not unlikely to find families moving into safe housing, excited hands holding a high school diploma for the first time, or a cold client climbing into a safe, warm bed for the first time in months. There are many great programs the Rescue Mission offers to changes lives. Please consider becoming part of them and more involved in someone else’s life by this simple and easy way to help contribute directly to the causes of the Rescue Mission. The Need-A-Break Program Donations Center partners with the local Value Village in order to be efficient and effective with the donations we receive from the community. It needs your help to spread the word.
First off, all donations are processed by volunteers where all of the best and most useful donations are plugged in right away for those in need. Our men’s and women’s clothing goes directly to the downtown campus clothing room where clients are able to easily find correct sizes. The Children’s clothing stays in the warehouse in our area designated as our children’s clothing bays and families at our campuses are made aware when clothing is available for them to meet their children’s needs. Useful household items, blankets, dishes, sheets, pots and pans, small appliances, and towels are stocked in the hospitality area in the warehouse where clients who find themselves unable to supply the household items themselves are able to be blessed by the donations and help make their house a home. Increasingly, donations such as sleeping bags, jackets, umbrellas, toiletries, and much more are stocked and distributed daily to clients in need.
When there is an in abundance of donations, meaning the clothing rooms are fully stocked and items have been sorted through to make sure we keep the best for those that need them, we are able to take surplus items to Value Village. Value Village pays us for the clothing that we deliver to them. When items are of no use to the clients or any Rescue Mission facility, They also take the miscellaneous donations. These payments, in return, go directly to the Rescue Mission. This partnership is very valuable for multiple reasons. We do not have the resources to store all of the unneeded donations we receive and the Value Village partnership allows us to be effective and continue to serve our clients with the resources we do have. We keep all of the best donations and make sure our clients always come first, and only in abundance do we deliver to Value Village. The funds we receive are contributed to the many programs at the Rescue Mission. This partnership allows the entire community to easily contribute to the Rescue Mission and bless all those in need.
Please consider the many benefits that come from your donations of clothing and other items to the Rescue Mission. It’s a great way to help contribute to the many programs we have to help the hurting and homeless of Pierce County. If you have any questions regarding our partnership with Value Village please ask below in the comment section. Please tell your friends and neighbors about this opportunity in order to contribute and connect in a greater way with helping others.
Recently, the Rescue-Mission Need-A-Break Program was able to help Mary. Mary was a senior citizen with diabetes. She also had not slept on a bed for the previous month and was dealing with a lot of back problems. Furthermore, Mary had just moved into her apartment which did have furniture but the previous resident was on their way to pick up their belongings which were just loaned for the time being. Mary was on her way back to sleeping on the floor.
Mary called many resources in desperation for assistance but to no avail. She felt hopeless & wondered what she was going to do for a bed as her finances went to her rent, utilities, & food. She came across The Rescue Mission’s number and decided to contact us at the warehouse. Upon receiving her call, I could hear her genuine need for what she was asking for. It just so happened that we had picked up a couch and chair, that our facilities could not use, as well as a twin size bedroom set that came with a dresser and two nightstands.
After deciding Mary was a perfect fit for these donations, we showed up with the bed and she was very thankful. She also saw all of the other furniture which she needed and told us it was completely unexpected. Mary was so grateful that she could not stop thanking Jesus. She told me that she prayed hard for a bed but didn’t expect the other furniture that she was in need of too. I told her that prayers are still answered as proof of the day’s delivery. We felt blessed to be able to be the channel of passion the donor had to donate the furniture to someone in need.
Are you curious where your donations go or who they impact? Do you sometimes wonder if something as simple as donating clothes or furniture can impact lives?
Monday through Thursday from 1-4pm the Need-A-Break Program has hospitality hours in the warehouse. During hospitality hours, Clients who find themselves transitioning into housing or moving into their first apartment are able to receive donations to help set up a home. Blankets, sheets, dishes, cookware, lamps, toiletries, and other items are available to clients. Because of the donations we receive from the community, many Clients are blessed and able to continue towards a life of self-sufficiency.
There are times however, in which Clients will have a need that we are unable to meet due to space or resources. Furniture is an item many Clients are in need of and often times we are able to meet a need of a dresser or chair, but occasionally a client has nothing and is in need of furniture for their entire family. In this case we refer the client to the Northwest Furniture Bank, one of our community partners.
The Northwest Furniture Bank specializes in getting Clients sleeping and eating off of the floor. We are very fortunate to have a community partner for this need in order for us to be most effective with the services we offer and meeting the Client’s need best. Working together is crucial for the greatest return on all of our resources.
As we begin the New Year we’ll continue to look to see how we can be better at the services we offer and how we can partner with other community organizations to better serve those in Pierce County. Are there any community partnerships that you know of that maximize resources?
The Rescue Mission graciously accepts many donations from the community at the Need-A-Break Program warehouse. Donations of clothes, blankets, toiletries, and household items find their way into the warehouse daily which bless many souls in need. There are also donations that make their way to the Rescue Mission that many would think don’t belong in a Mission’s warehouse. Sometimes these donations have a unique way of supplementing someone’s path of life transformation.
For example, recently a donor came down to the warehouse and had some beautiful suits that her husband had worn throughout his professional life. He had recently passed away and our donor had hoped someone at the mission could use the suits. Within a couple of weeks, we had some clients inquiring if we knew of any resource where they could get some decent clothes for a job interview and a graduation. The suits that were donated were more than perfect for the occasions and the clients were beyond belief they were going to walk out of the warehouse dressed so well.
These suits had previously been worn during executive meetings and in five star hotels but were now worn to first time job interviews and graduations celebrating the paths of life transformation of clients at the Rescue Mission. These suits were able to provide confidence and reassurance to our clients that the community does care and wants them to succeed. No one was better dressed.
Is there anything unique that you could donate to someone in need that would supplement life transformation? Anything someone might not consider to donate because it hasn’t been done before?
It’s Sunday morning, and the donation center is quiet… a new week is beginning. There remain the unresolved tasks from the week before, but following the refreshing time of the Sabbath with the Lord, there is a new empowerment to persevere.
There is an anticipation of what He has in store for the days ahead. There will be the blessing of donations brought to our threshold to meet with the needs, desperate needs meeting generous gifts… and the greatest gift brought to the threshold is love… the love our community reaching out to those in need. Yes Lord, remind the staff and volunteers here at the Rescue Mission to always pass on the love that was a part of each donation we have received.