121 Years of Service
DenverRescueMission.org
November 2013
ngs ssi
Thanks
g n i Ble v i g
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and...your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 (NIV)
Thank you for being a blessing to Denver’s homeless this Thanksgiving! Please use the enclosed coupon to mail your donation today, or visit DenverRescueMission.org to make a secure donation online.
Thanksgiving Blessings Thanksgiving Banquet-in-a-Box
On Sunday, November 24th, Denver Rescue Mission will distribute approximately 2,000 complete banquets-in-a-box to families who are unable to buy food for their holiday meal. Please see page two to donate food items, or use the enclosed coupon to help financially. Thank you for blessing people in your community with the opportunity to celebrate this season!
“I love it at the Mission, getting fed and accepted here. You take all of us—it’s wonderful.” -Kristi, 41
Great Thanksgiving Banquet We want to make sure everyone can celebrate the holidays. On Wednesday, November 27th, all are welcome to attend our Great Thanksgiving Banquet. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers and your financial contributions, the Mission will serve a Thanksgiving feast of turkey, stuffing, yams, and pumpkin pie to the needy in Denver. Guests will also leave with gifts of hats, gloves and scarves because of your incredible support!
Free Long-distance Phone Calls During the holiday season, the poor and homeless will be able to reconnect with family and loved ones because CenturyLink will donate free long-distance phone calls. These calls offer healing and hope and truly bring families back together!
Paul's Story On Thanksgiving last year, Paul sat at The Crossing Café, grateful for a warm holiday meal and a place to stay, but confused and depressed. He came into the program just a week prior, after hitting bottom in his decade-long alcohol addiction. “My sister told me about the program, and I knew that I needed to get away for a while and really get to the root of things,” explains Paul. In 2009, he lost his job due to layoffs during the recession. “Instability would trigger a downward spiral with alcohol. I was living with my mom, only getting temporary work, didn’t have a car, and was running out of money. I knew that something needed to change,” Paul says. He took the program one day at a time, gaining confidence in himself along the way. “I was so comforted just by being here, knowing I was in the right place, doing the right thing,” he says. Paul found Christ at the Mission through talking with chaplains and began to see God’s grace change his life: “I have spiritual maturity because of this place. I love the Lord with all of my heart, soul and mind. I used to be so full of anxiety, and I have peace now.” Paul started a full-time job in his career field this September, and with it came a new outlook on life. “God gave me the wisdom to understand myself. I can confront reality now. Not only am I sober, but I have discernment,” he says. This Thanksgiving, Paul is full of hope and looking forward to stability. He is well on his way to achieving his goal of self-sufficiency, but will always reflect on where he started: “Much like addiction, homelessness doesn’t discriminate. People, anyone, can fall to so many different degrees. But there is a way back up, and it’s through a personal relationship with Jesus.” To post a note of encouragement for Paul on the Mission’s Facebook page,
visit Facebook.com/DenverRescue.
From the CEO Dear Friends, The festivities surrounding our Thanksgiving holiday make it one of the most challenging, exciting and rewarding times of the year for our staff at the Mission. It’s challenging because we need 15,000 turkeys for use at the Mission, and to supply to the many organizations that come to us for help with their own seasonal outreaches. Included in that number is the distribution of over 2,000 turkeys to poor and needy families through our Thanksgiving Banquet-in-a-Box event at Sports Authority Field, and feeding over 1,000 people at our Great Thanksgiving Banquet! And here is the rub: we do not know if the turkeys are going to come in until they do; we are completely reliant on the community (as we have been for over 121 years) to help us meet this need. We are excited because when we see people dropping off turkeys, often just one or two at a time, we have the wonderful opportunity to see these turkeys add up and to watch our community, and this great God we serve, meet the needs of our city! This is so rewarding because our faith grows each year that God works in the hearts of donors to provide the turkeys that help Denver’s poor celebrate the holidays. We have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season—lives are being changed, families are being restored and the homeless are being loved! If you feel something tugging at your heart to help, please join us financially, as a volunteer or in prayer as we work to change lives in the name of Christ. God Bless,
Brad Meuli President/CEO
Please Help With Holiday Meals You can contribute to a Thanksgiving feast for Denver’s homeless and hungry. With your food donations, together, we can bring happiness throughout the holiday season to men, women and children in need: • • • • • •
Frozen Turkeys (12 lbs. or more) Boxed Mashed Potatoes Stuffing Canned Fruit Canned Vegetables Canned Yams
Please bring your donations to one of these locations: Ministry Outreach Center: 5725 East 39th Avenue Lawrence Street Shelter: 1130 Park Avenue West For directions, visit DenverRescueMission.org/Locations or call 303.297.1815 for more information.
Save the Date for Colorado Gives Day On December 10th, Denver Rescue Mission will participate in the 4th annual “Colorado Gives Day.” One hundred percent of the donations made to the Mission through the Giving First website will go to our organization, and donations will be increased through the Colorado Gives Day Incentive Fund. Visit our profile at GivingFirst.org/DenverRescueMission and help us do our part on this special day!
Sporting Clay Shoot Thanks to all who participated in our inaugural Sporting Clay Shoot at Kiowa Creek Sporting Club. Roughly 40 people participated in this competitive event on October 10th. Proceeds benefited Denver Rescue Mission as we help the homeless in our community this holiday season. A special thank you to our event sponsor VLCM Technology for their support and generosity!
Mission Events
Statistics
(Fiscal Year) How You Help
Turkey Banquet-In-A-Box Distribution Sports Authority Field, Parking Lot A Sunday, November 24th, 2013 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. To register please visit: DenverRescueMission.org/ThanksgivingMeal.
Great Thanksgiving Banquet Lawrence Street Shelter and The Crossing Wednesday, November 27th, 2013 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. All volunteer needs are currently met.
7th Annual Turkey Chase 5K Apex Field House 5724 Oak Street, Arvada, CO 80002 Thursday, November 28th, 2013 7:45 a.m. Registration 9 a.m. 5K kick-off To register please visit: DenverRescueMission.org/TurkeyChase2013.
“Do What you Can” Canned Food Drives in Partnership With KeyBank Please bring cans of non-perishable food to the Colorado Avalanche game on Nov. 6th and the Denver Nuggets game on Nov. 7th. to help feed the poor and hungry this winter. For more information, please call Lisette at 303.313.2414 or LWilliams@DenRescue.org.
Workplace Giving Workplace giving campaigns allow you to make a donation to the Mission by setting up an automatic deduction from your paycheck. These deductions, scheduled at your choosing, allow you to make an impact through consistent, manageable amounts. Please ask your employer about the campaigns below to see how you can make a difference today! For more information, please contact Susan at 303.313.2481 or SBond@DenRescue.org. Colorado Combined Campaign (CCC): Colorado government employees
Denver Employees Combined Campaign (DECC): Denver
can support the Mission through the CCC by selecting the following code number: 1821.
government employees can support the Mission through the DECC by selecting the following code number: 0521.
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): Federal government employees and
Partnership for Colorado Campaign: Local businesses and their
members of the U.S. Military can support the Mission through the CFC by selecting the following code number: 28056.
employees can support the Mission through the Partnership for Colorado Campaign by going to PartnershipForColorado.org, clicking on the Caring Connections tab and selecting the code number: 1021.
SEPTEMBER
YTD
Meals served
49,380
145,949
Beds
22,050
67,521
Chapel attendance
3,747
14,906
Food boxes distributed
112
322
Furniture (households)
43
113
Clothing (lbs.)
15,878
51,636
Clinic services
1,087
3,423
Our Outreaches Lawrence Street Shelter: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter, free health care, food box and clothing distribution. Fort Collins Rescue Mission: Emergency care: meals, overnight shelter; and transitional program. Champa House: Residential facility offering long-term help toward self-sufficiency to single mothers with dependent children. Harvest Farm: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, farming and ranching operation, food and clothing distribution, and Fall Festival. The Crossing: Long-term New Life rehabilitation program, transitional program for New Life graduates and homeless families, temporary housing for interns and visitors. Ministry Outreach Center: Warehouse facilities; food, clothing and household goods distribution. Family Services: Transitional program; assistance for permanent housing; mentoring for homeless working families, seniors and refugee families. Global Ministry Outreach: Consultation, resources and support to city/rescue missions around the world.
Changing Lives is the monthly news publication of Denver Rescue Mission. Director of Communications: Christine Gallamore Designer: Rachel Vigil Writer: Rachel Greiman P.O. Box 5164 • Denver, CO 80217 • 303.297.1815
blog.DenverRescueMission.com