"All night we were on the buses"

For three of the most challenging weeks of Angela's life, she and her four kids experienced homelessness on the city streets.

"My family and I got evicted from our unit due to mismanagement," says Angela. "That was the day we actually became homeless. We were staying at motels. We stayed at the airport a couple of nights. But mainly we slept on the buses. All night, we were on the buses . . ."

Looking back on that period of her life, Angela can't keep the tears from falling.

On the last night they spent on the streets, Angela remembers sleeping at a Metro Rail station. In the morning, they took a train to another station. At that moment, they were surrounded by police officers.

"One of them came up behind me and said, 'ma'am, we want to help you,'" Angela recalls. After calling several places, the police officer told Angela he had found a place for them to go: Union Rescue Mission.

"Hope Gardens is God's land"

Angela and her children made it safely to Union Rescue Mission, where after four months, they transitioned to Hope Gardens.

"Hope Gardens is God's land," says Angela. "It's peaceful. It's the land of hope for me. This is the place where I found my healing."

Today, Angela is all smiles as she watches her children play in the park.

"I look at my kids," she says, "I see happiness. I see contentment. I have great hopes for my children, because they know what it was like to walk on Skid Row. They know what it was like to not have somewhere to sleep. But they knew God was with us. They knew they had a mom that loved them and protected them. And always, always will keep them safe."

Please take a moment now to watch Angela's story to see just how God cared for this mom and her four precious kids.

Your gift will change more lives this Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, men, women, children, and families will come to Union Rescue Mission in search of hope and a better life. And for many, the road to transformation will start with a meal.

Your gift of $2.54 this Thanksgiving is all it takes to provide a meal and the chance for a new life. Will you give as generously as you can today?

Then please give generously today to help provide Thanksgiving meals to more families like Angela's this Thanksgiving. Every $2.54 meal will provide a nourishing meal.

Thank you for caring for the most vulnerable in our community this Thanksgiving.