Crews working for Sound Transit will close South C Street from South 25th Street to South Tacoma Way beginning next Monday, Jan. 23, for roadway and street improvements. The closure is expected to last until April. Cars will be detoured up South 25th Street to Jefferson Avenue/Center Street in order to get onto South Tacoma Way. Signage will be placed to detour traffic. Pedestrians will be able to access South Tacoma Way via South C Street through a dedicated pedestrian path.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but in the long run these improvements are for the better for our community. If your donations consist of clothing or small household items, our Adams Campus will accept these donations on Thursdays from 2-4 and Saturdays from 1-4. You help us make the differences for those in need!
Easy Directions to Need-A-Break and The Rescue Mission Downtown Campus
From Hwy 16:
1. Take the Union Ave exit, EXIT 1B.
2. Turn left onto S Union Ave
3. Turn left onto S Center St
4. Turn right onto S M Street
5. Turn left onto S Tacoma Way
6. Destination 425 S Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98402 will be on your left.
From I-5 North & South:
1. Depart I-5
2. At exit 133, take ramp for East 26 St. toward Tacoma Dome
3. Turn left onto E 26TH St
4. Road name changes to S 26TH St
5. Turn right onto S A St
6. Turn left onto S 25TH St
7. Turn left onto Jefferson Ave/Center Street
8. Turn left onto S M St
9. Turn left onto S Tacoma Way
10. Destination 425 S Tacoma Way will be on your left
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
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?
The Rescue Mission will be hosting a Christmas Drive for the community at the New Life Square Downtown campus in December and we are seeking donations for the event. Our motivation for the event is to effectively give out the donations we receive in a loving way to families in need for gifts for their children. So many donors bless the community with their resources and we want to make sure we do our best to get those resources out, keeping in mind we are about life transformation. This event is really going to be special. There are many ways to help out and get involved outlined below. Keep in mind we love creativity so let us know if you have an idea.
-If you see one of our donation barrels (barrels that are a bright color with the Rescue Mission Poster) fill them with new toys, food, or warm clothes. They’re all throughout Tacoma. The new toys will go to our Christmas Drive, the food will help feed all of the clients at our new Adams Family Campus, and the warm clothes will help fill our clothing rooms.
-Sign up to volunteer for the Christmas drive. We’ll need loving volunteers to help coordinate the drive, create a warm environment, and much more. Please contact Juliet or Shilo to volunteer juliet.wallin@rescue-mission.org or shilo.lucyk@rescue-mission.org.
-Donate new toys for the Drive at our warehouse. We’re located at 425 S Tacoma Way. Open M-F 9am-4pm and Sat 9am-1pm.
-If you need some ideas for gifts that kids will really love or any questions about the Drive please email me at beggers@trm.org.
Serving others has its rewards. Money does not always have to suffice. I find joy in filling a need that has been long overdue. I take a smile as payment any day. A handshake has always been affirming. A simple “thank you” has always gone a long way in my book.
My mom use to tell me daily as a child, “If you want to be great, learn to be a servant”. I believe when I continue to look back at that statement, it resonates well with my spirit. The way you approach those you are serving can create an everlasting wave of compassion that can continue to flow on no matter what they are facing. I can attest first hand to the beautiful domino effect I’ve witnessed & continue to work on areas that can improve relationships. I endeavor to be a great person just like I endeavor to be a great father, husband, leader, relative, & friend. Today, I have been afforded the chance to serve people & I love it.
Recently one donor in particular has served the Rescue Mission by blessing the Need-A-Break donation center with new hats and scarves that she herself had crocheted. They are beautiful hats and scarves which are going to provide so much love and warmth to those in need. Unfortunately it was an anonymous donor but nonetheless we wanted to lift her up and thank her.
There are many ways to serve and if you feel inspired to use your gifts for donations, as our donor who crocheted the hats and scarves, we’d love to hear from you.
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.
The weather outside is changing and the nights are becoming longer, colder, and harder to bear. The Need-A-Break donation center is currently seeking warm clothing such as blankets, jackets, hats, gloves, and pants to provide to our clients without these basic needs. By providing our clients warm clothes and blankets we are supporting them to be able to work on other aspects of their lives towards life transformation instead of having to worry about how they’re going to stay warm during the winter months. Do you have any jackets you just don’t wear, or did you just buy a new one and can give your old one away? How about all of those blankets that are piled up in the basement? Please consider donating to the ones in our community with your warm clothes. A simple item as a blanket or a jacket can make a huge impact in someone’s life.
Our donation center is located at 425 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma WA. 98402
Open M-F 9am-4pm and Sat 9am-1pm or call 253-284-4282 for other arrangements
We do many things at the Need-A-Break Program and have realized there is a need for a blog where we can direct anyone involved with the Program, whether it’s someone who donates regularly or someone who has never heard about what we do, and give them a resource for information. There are two main reasons why we have started this blog and the following will address those reasons and answer our opening question: What is the Need-A-Break Blog?
First, the Need-A-Break Blog is an avenue to communicate to the community our needs for donations. For instance, if we are in need of a certain item such as school notebooks, blankets, or coats, we will put that need on our blog and be able to connect the compassion of our donors to our real time needs. In addition, this may work both ways. We will also communicate on the blog if we may have temporarily met our capacity of a certain donation. For example, if we are at full capacity of mattresses in our warehouse we could avoid having donors come all the way down to the warehouse and told to come back later when we can let them know over the blog how blessed we are to have so many mattresses for those in need and let everyone know once space becomes available again that we are graciously accepting mattresses.
Secondly, we also want to tell the stories of members in our community who have been touched by the Need-A-Break Program. Whether a family moved into their own housing and were blessed by furniture to help make their house a home or a single-parent who now has a safe, reliable car to continue working at their new job, we want to tell the story and give a voice to those we work with. These stories will connect everyone involved so stay tuned and connected.
Need-A-Break has new donation hours!
Donations
Need-A-Break Program is accepting donations at our warehouse located at our Downtown Tacoma Campus, 425 South Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98402
Monday-Friday 10am–4pm
Saturday 9am–1pm.
Donations are efficiently distributed throughout Rescue Mission facilities and to community members in need. Stay tuned to our Need-A-Break Blog for current needs, and stories of clients who have been transformed by these gifts .
Hospitality Hours
Our warehouse is open to those in need in our community for household items such as blankets, sheets, dishes, cookware, and clothes.
Monday-Thursday 1–4pm
Need-A-Break Program Office
For furniture and minor vehicle repair needs pick up an application at our office, online at www.rescue-mission.org/need-a-break-program or print off and mail in your application. Leaving any part of the application incomplete will delay the application. Office is located inside the warehouse.
Monday-Friday 9am–4pm
P 253-284-4282 / F 253-250-0462