Crystal is a 32-year-old single mother of four children who found her way to Hope Gardens. After years of pain, abuse, and hunger, she is finally receiving the love and help she and her children so desperately need. This year, thanks to you, Crystal is looking forward to Thanksgiving and the love that a family provides.
A New Kind of Thanksgiving
Thanks to you,
Crystal learned
what family
really means.
As a donor, you made this possible for me. I wish I could meet you, but all I can say is thank you! —Crystal
My childhood was pretty messed up. When I was 6, I found my father dead of a heart attack on the floor. Later, I was molested by three different uncles. At the same time, because my mom had to work all the time, I had to be mom to my younger siblings. When I was 16, I was raped at a party. So I never got to be a kid. I went through so much trauma, and I always felt distant, out of place, and disconnected. I wanted to feel something. I wanted to feel loved. Then I met my future husband. We both came from dysfunctional families. We tried to give each other the love we thought we needed. But neither of us really knew what love was. We moved in together at 18, and the physical and emotional violence started. It was 12 years of pain, violence, drugs, and often hunger. Sometimes weeks would go by when my four kids and I didn’t have enough to eat. By the time I was almost 30, I’d had enough. So, in 2019, my kids and I left that life behind. Over the next year, God did a lot of healing in me—but I knew I still needed more. Then God opened a way for me to come to Hope Gardens. At Hope Gardens, I’ve experienced nothing but pure love. Every day, God shows me how much He loves me through the people here. I’ve had to dig through my past and face all my wounds and fears, but here I’ve learned that love is unconditional. I’ve also learned that family isn’t a name and DNA—it’s a spiritual connection with people who are united and understand that we are all in this together. I used to think Thanksgiving was a day to spend with all my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins. There was always a lot of alcohol-fueled chaos. But finally my kids and I are at peace for the first time. My heart is filled with gratitude, knowing I am fully loved and embraced. So, surrounded by my kids, a simple meal, and peace—that’s all I want for Thanksgiving.
A Thanksgiving Timeline—
Your Gifts at Work - This November 20
Offering true hope and healing to all the families we serve at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens, THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT!
Every precious soul on Skid Row deserves to experience the joy of a family-style Thanksgiving. That’s why every year, Union Rescue Mission throws a giant celebration, including . . . 4,000 pounds of turkey, 3,300 pounds of potatoes, 2,000 pounds of stuffing, 800 pounds of mashed potatoes, and 4,100 pieces of pie! Here’s a brief timeline of what happens on this very special day!
1:00 AM CEO Andy Bales and volunteers begin to deep-fry turkeys.
4:00 AM – 9:00 AM Staff and volunteers begin arriving to set up equipment and help in the kitchen.
9:00 AM Performers arrive for sound check.
10:00 AM Volunteers begin setting up games and activities for kids and families.
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM URM’s Thanksgiving event includes food, live music, games, and activities for kids.
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Cleanup begins after a day of great food and gratitude.
Joy of Giving Back
In many ways, volunteers are the tangible heart and soul behind all the miraculous work we see every day at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens. Like YOU, they are the hands and feet of Jesus that make this work possible. Joy is one of these. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced Joy to close her drycleaning business, she started looking for a way to reach others with the love of God. “My dear friend Carmelita brought me to URM to volunteer after I retired,” Joy says. “I’ve thought about getting a part-time job, but serving at URM is more valuable than money. I love to volunteer here.” Joy is one of URM’s dedicated kitchen volunteers. Her beautiful heart of service guarantees that everyone who serves alongside her feels welcomed in the kitchen—just like any mom would in her own kitchen. “As long as God keeps me healthy, I want to volunteer here,” she says.
Give hurting people a taste of love and the chance to start over this Thanksgiving.
Please Help Provide Thanksgiving Dinner—and a Taste of God’s Love
For most people, Thanksgiving is a day of food, warmth, love, family, and gratitude. But for people devastated by homelessness, it’s too often a day of hunger along with painful memories of wrong turns, families lost, and forgotten love. Not at Union Rescue Mission. For men, women, and children who have no home, this IS their home—with all the warmth, sharing, and care your gifts can provide, that ALL good homes provide. All year round at Union Rescue Mission, your support gives these precious souls the chance to experience that kind of home again through safe shelter, nutritious meals, and God’s care. But at Thanksgiving, your generosity means even more—a day of celebration, special food, and family love, which gives many the hope and courage they need to escape homelessness forever. Thank you! Please give hurting people a taste of love and the chance to start over this Thanksgiving. With volunteers cooking and serving and with generous donations from local markets, each Thanksgiving meal you provide costs $2.54. We expect to serve more than 300,000 meals this Thanksgiving season. Your gift today will not only help serve meals to hungry souls, but you could also change a life. So please give generously this Thanksgiving season. Thank you!
Provide a Special Outreach Kit for $4
Throughout this Thanksgiving season, URM will distribute Outreach Kits to our neighbors living on Skid Row. These kits will bless them and will include: • Warm socks • Hand sanitizer • Snacks • Bottle of water • A Bible • A special note telling them they are loved and a child of God
You can provide an Outreach Kit to our neighbors living on Skid Row for just $4 per person!
When you send your gift for Thanksgiving meals, simply check the Outreach Kit box on the reply slip and include an extra $4 with your donation!
NOTES FROM ANDY
HOME AND FAMILY
Yesterday, a young mom and child who were illegally evicted from their apartment walked through our doors for the first time. Hours later, a family abandoned their elderly mother at our front door. Sometimes, gratitude and thanksgiving are elusive in the face of such cruelty and suffering. Yet, every day, God calls us to remember the blessings in our lives and to give thanks to Him—and there is so much to be grateful for. Thanks to you, a mother and child are safe tonight. Because of you, an elderly mother, kicked from her home, has a new home and a new family who loves her. With Thanksgiving coming, I’m thinking a lot about home and family. In the face of record hunger and homelessness in Los Angeles, tens of thousands of men, women, and children will face a heartbreaking Thanksgiving this year. Yet I’m thankful, because for all those at Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens, and on Skid Row, we will be their home and caring family. Indeed, YOU will be their family, because you make this home possible. Thank you! So this Thanksgiving, please remember all your brothers and sisters, moms and dads, sons and daughters who make up your extended family here. Thanks be to God!
To read Andy’s blog, please visit revandysblog.com