In The News

I guess you could say we take giving thanks pretty seriously here at Union Rescue Mission. Our guests are thankful to be off the street and to have a safe place to sleep at night. The men and women enrolled in one of our life transformation programs are thankful for the opportunity to rebuild their lives with the help of loving case managers and chaplains dedicated to helping them succeed. Our growing population of families who are experiencing homelessness for the first time are thankful that we have stepped up to meet the needs of whole families and single dads with kids. Last but not least, our staff and team of dedicated volunteers are eternally grateful for the sacrificial giving of our donors that allows us to do all that we do.

Needless to say, we take Thanksgiving pretty seriously too! Our Thanksgiving celebration is a time for us reach out to the community we serve and shower them with love, attention and of course great food. And for many of the guests who attend our special celebration, it’s the first step in their journey toward home.

Take a moment to watch this special Thanksgiving video and see first hand the difference you are making in the lives of so many people.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Thank you to Albertsons for awarding Union Rescue Mission with a $2,500 grant! 

Albertsons started a new initiative called “Fueling the Community” to help non-profits with the transportation costs of picking up Gifts in Kind from Albertson’s stores throughout LA.  Union Rescue Mission was awarded a full grant of $2,500 which we will use to cover the costs incurred from picking up food donations from Albertsons Stores in LA, Glendale, Burbank and Santa Monica.

Union Rescue Mission, in partnership with Giving Children Hope and Fundación Salvadoreña (known as FUSAL) delivers pharmaceutical supplies to needy families in El Salvador. 

Story by Joe Callahan, Director of Gifts-In-Kind, who recently went to El Salvador to help those in need.

(Proud mothers with healthy babies delivered at the hospital)

El Salvador is a beautiful country.  It is green, tropical, and filled with natural beauty that took my breath away as I toured the county.  However, El Salvador has many who live without running water, without electricity, and without the things most 21st century people take for granted.  Among the things many Salvadorians live without are nutritional food, quality medical supplies, and medical care.  FUSAL is providing the boots on the ground in El Salvador where they are working to make a difference for the poor people who need their help.  Gabriela de Hurtado, MD, was my tour guide and interpreter while I visited two FUSAL assisted hospitals and a program site, and spoke with some of the people being helped through our cooperative efforts in El Salvador. 

 

(Dr. Gabriela de Hurtado standing next to a FUSAL vehicle, taken on the last day of my visit in El Salvador.)

In this shipment, FUSAL received medicines for use to combat intestinal disorders, vitamins, antibiotic creams, and antibiotic pills and tablets.  These items, and other medical supplies provided by Union Rescue Mission and Giving Children Hope in previous shipments, are making a difference for the people of El Salvador.  The following programs are being operated by FUSAL:

• Medical Aid Distribution Program – distributes medical supplies 
• Libras de Amor (Pounds of Love) – distributes food and provides nutritional training, including training to raise chickens or other animals for food and as sources of income.
• Education Programs – classrooms for the many children who have dropped out of school to help support the family.
• Luis Poma Training Center – Adult professional development in support of FUSAL programs.

I was honored to see how God’s work is being done in El Salvador.  This outreach program is possible because of the support Union Rescue Mission receives from our donors and the cooperation of Christians working with us at Giving Children Hope and FUSAL.

(HOSPITAL DE MATERNIDAD LADIVINA PROVIDENCIA – a remote maternity hospital)

(Dinner is being prepared on a wood burning stove in a home occupied by 2 families in a remote area outside of San Salvador)

 

The final step of “What We Do” is Restoration.  It combines everything that has been gained throughout the other three steps and allows people to ‘find their way home’.  Upon successful completion of one of our Life Transformation Programs, we encourage people to stay with us long enough to secure stable employment, and save up enough money to not only cover the initial expenses associated with moving, but also to build up an emergency fund.  We also love to see that people have an established support circle outside the mission before they leave – whether it is family or through one of our church partners.

Please take a moment to hear Olga’s story of how she has found her way home.

Click here to find out more of “What We Do”.

Blessings,

Over 100 Wells Fargo employees, friends, and family member teamed up with Union Rescue Mission last Saturday, October 24^th, for the Wells Fargo “Acts of Kindness” event.  The volunteers engaged in what we do here at URM in a variety of ways- from serving ice cream in the guest Chapel, going on water walks, distributing sack lunches and Gatorade, and even singing karaoke and double-dutch jump roping with the kids.  The event was a huge success for both volunteers and recipients of the acts of kindness.

The event began at 9:00am with a brief program hosted by former LA Lakers star, AC Green.  The goal of the Wells Fargo “Acts of Kindness”  Day was to assist in supporting programs that directly benefit and empower working poor men, women and families experiencing homelessness- and it did just that.

This event was a great reminder of how important it is for us as a community to join together to help others – what we do together is larger than any of us as individuals. Andy Bales, URM CEO, states, “Generous individuals from amazing corporations like Wells Fargo engaging on the streets with people who are homeless will play a vital role in moving toward the day when not one person is left on the streets of Skid Row.”

 

Thanks to the Wells Fargo Volunteers for all your help and support!!

This Wednesday, October 28th, Union Rescue Mission will be holding a press conference to unveil an initiative for ending homelessness as we know it in Los Angeles.  Our goal is to reduce the population of people on the streets of Skid Row by 90% in 3 years, cut the number of people who are homeless in LA County by 50% in 7 years, and in 10 years end Los Angeles’ reign as the Homeless Capitol of the US.  We believe it is time for the people of Los Angeles to rise up and take positive action to bring an end to the homeless epidemic in our community.

You Are the Mission to End Homelessness!

 

MEDIA ALERT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT: Kitty Davis-Walker

(213) 673-4585 or (213) 507-5562

Email: kwalker@urm.org

WHAT: Union Rescue Mission is hosting a press conference with community leaders and organizations helping people experiencing homelessness.  The purpose of the press conference is to announce an initiative to end homelessness as we know it in greater Los Angeles.

.

WHEN:     Wednesday, October 28, 2009

                  10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

 

WHERE:  Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

                  Courtyard

                  555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, 90012

                       

WHY: Because it is time for the people of Los Angeles to rise up and take positive action to bring an end to the homelessness epidemic in our community.  It is time to replace homelessness with hopefulness.  Hope for a better life off the streets and help from those individuals and organizations who can pull together to make this a reality.

 

Union Rescue Mission CEO, Andy Bales, said “We cannot live up to our name, the City of Angels, while leading the Nation with the highest numbers of people living on the streets of our City.  With your help, we are launching an initiative to reduce the population of people on the streets of Skid Row by 90% in 3 years, cut the number of people who are homeless in LA County by 50% in 7 years, and in 10 years end Los Angeles’ reign as the homeless Capitol of the United States. You are the Mission to end homelessness!”

About Union Rescue Mission

Union Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness. Established in 1891, URM is one of the largest rescue missions of its kind in the United States and is the oldest in Los Angeles.  It provides a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services, including food, shelter, clothing; medical and dental care; Christian recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to needy men, women, children and families.  For more information, please visit urm.org.

Stubb’s Legendary Kitchen rolled into URM yesterday for a stop on its “Feed the World” tour.  They served up their famous barbeque to about 450 people experiencing homelessness!

The tour, which features a specially designed 34- foot mobile kitchen and musem, presents an exhibit filled with the rich history of founder C.B. “Stubb” Stubblefield’s unique life story and his famous Texas barbeque sauce.  The “Feed the World Tour” is named for the stated mission of “Stubb”, who said, “I was born hungry and I want to feed the world”. Today, Austin-based Stubb’s is the nations #1 super-premium barbeque sauce and marinade brand.

“Stubb was a cook but more than that, a lover of people. The values that guided his life still guide the company that bears his name. Stubb’s life truly is in every bottle of sauce and marinade we make. We’re thrilled to work with the Union Rescue Mission and bring all of Stubb’s love and happiness to those who need it most,” said CEO Kurt Koegler. 

“The economy has placed greater demand on organizations like the Union Rescue Mission, so we couldn’t think of a better time to show our support,” Koegler said. “Stubb’s greatest joy was feeding the people who came from all around for a taste of his famous barbeque and it is an honor for us to fulfill his mission with our Feed the World Tour.”

Since June, Stubb’s has travelend thousands of miles and barbequed for thousands of homeless people in cities including Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Cincinnati.   

Video of the tour kick-off event in Austin is available on YouTube, and on Stubb’s Web site http://stubbsbbq.com

Thank you to Stubbs and the “Feed the World” Tour for bringing a delicous meal and a day of fun to Skid Row! 

 

 

Tune in to CNN to hear the story of Kenneth, a teenager experiencing homelessness on Skid Row who has his sights set on Harvard after he graduates next year.

Click here to hear more of Kenneth’s Story.