MISSION UPDATE News of hope and healing from Atlantic City Rescue Mission
Homeless can happen to anyone. Hope happens here.
Holiday 2016
Mary had finally won a 26-year battle with drugs, but she was still homeless and unemployed.
I ASKED GOD TO SHOW ME SOMEPLACE THAT COULD HELP ME GET MY LIFE BACK.
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25,575 meals by 2 December 25
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A Message from the Director
“Let there be joy!” Caroling angels. Christmas pageants. Celebrations around the world. Christmas is truly a miraculous time to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s a time to share love. A time to raise hopes. A time to be joyful! And that’s exactly what makes it a very difficult time for the men, women and children who make their home with us here at the Mission. Many are apart from their families, separated from spouses and children. Most would tell you they have very little to celebrate. It is your gifts that make Christmas the very best day possible for them. Special meals. Decorations. Small gifts. And above all, a celebration of that very first Christmas… a reminder for them – and for all of us – that miracles do happen and prayers are answered! This then is my Christmas wish for all who join us here at the Mission during the holidays, and for you and those who are near and dear: Let there be joy!
Considering a year-end gift? Many of our friends make gifts to the Mission before the year ends. Donations charged to a credit card before midnight on December 31, 2016 are tax deductible for 2016 (even if you don’t pay your credit card bill until 2017). Checks must be postmarked before midnight on New Year’s Eve. You can avoid the rush and donate now using the enclosed envelope, or by making a safe, secure gift online at acrescuemission.org.
25,575 meals by DEC 25
That’s our goal this holiday season. Each meal or food box you sponsor today is so much more than just nourishing food. It’s a chance for you to help change a life. To end hunger. To end homelessness. To help families and seniors make ends meet.
…………… Dan Brown President & CEO
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Make your gift online at acrescuemission.org. Or use the enclosed reply card and envelope.
Thank you for sharing your blessings and your bounty!
NOW I CAN WALK WITH MY HEAD UP.
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“I wanted to stop, but it just kept getting worse.”
ary never had the chance to be a child. “My mother’s an alcoholic so I was responsible for two brothers and two sisters because I was the oldest,” she says. “Someone had to be the parent, and it was me.” When Mary reached her 20s, she started using cocaine, which became an addiction she struggled with for the next 26 years. “I was in and out of plenty of rehabs, had no place of my own, and I wasn’t working,” she says. Mary got clean a year ago, but she was still homeless and unemployed.
“I asked God to show me a place that would help me get my life back,” she says. Then a friend told her about Atlantic City Rescue Mission. “I decided to give it a try – and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened for me.” Mary now has a warm bed and nutritious meals, and she’s training to reenter the job market through our Work Readiness Program. “I work six days a week cleaning the third floor of the Mission, and I’ve attended life skills and money management
classes,” she says. “Now I feel ready for outside work. I’ve got a lot of motivation.” Mary has also grown closer to the Lord through our daily Bible studies and chapels. “I had put Him on the back burner,” she says. “Now I know that God is good and I thank Him every morning.” Mary plans to graduate, find a job, and get her own place. She credits the Mission with her new lease on life. “Staff listened to my story and guided me where I needed to be,” she says. “Now I can walk with my head up. I have my self-esteem back. I’m proud of who I am today.” 3
Eat. Shop. GIVE. There’s a day for giving thanks and a day for getting bargains. Giving Tuesday, November 29, is the day for giving back! In the midst of our busiest season of the year, we’re scrambling to provide over 51,150 meals and nearly 27,570 food boxes for people and families struggling in our community. Please visit us at acrescuemission.org on Nov. 29 and make your Giving Tuesday gift. Thank you for being part of our Mission family!
SHARE YOUR BLESSINGS! There’s still time to join us in setting more places at our table for hungry people in southern New Jersey this Thanksgiving! Please consider hosting a food drive or donating these needed items before Monday, November 21:
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Drop off at 2009 Bacharach Blvd., 7 days a week. Thank you!
• Turkeys & hams • Boxes of stuffing
Dan, use my gift to bless hungry, homeless people this Christmas $21.76 to feed and care for 8 people $51.68 to feed and care for 19 people $76.16 to feed and care for 28 people $_______ to help as much as possible
Plus, $_______ to provide a special Christmas Gift
• Bags of potatoes & sweet potatoes • Fresh or #10 canned fruits & vegetables • Baked pies & whipped topping • Coffee, creamer, sugar (white & brown)
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Check enclosed
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Bill my credit card
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NAME CREDIT CARD #
EXP. DATE
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acrescuemission.org Donate Now! (609) 345-5517, ext. 116
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Atlantic City Rescue Mission P.O. Box 5358 Atlantic City, NJ 08404-5358
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