"I couldn't just walk away"

Kimjoy grew up in Los Angeles, where she started selling crack cocaine.

"Once I got into that lifestyle, I became truly addicted, and couldn't just walk away," Kimjoy says.

Then she was arrested for drug dealing, and spent the next sixteen years of her life behind bars. But the prison time finally got Kimjoy off drugs.

When she got out, she found Hope Gardens.

"I had heard about Hope Gardens and in truth, what sold me was that you had your own bathroom," Kimjoy says with a laugh.

At Hope Gardens, Kimjoy found the peace she was seeking. The only problem was she was extremely lonely. So she prayed to God to touch her life.

Transform more lives this Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, people experiencing homelessness will arrive at Union Rescue Mission, needing more than a meal. They need hope. Healing. And help to start again.

Your gift of $2.54 will provide a nourishing meal and hope for a better life. Will you give as generously as you can today?

"I felt as though He had actually embraced me"

Kimjoy recalls getting up early one morning.

She says, "It got really still, and I felt as though He had actually embraced me. It was overwhelming. I knew for certain that He loved me. And from there on, I was just like, 'okay, I give it to You.' And He has just continued to bless me."

Since Kimjoy arrived to Hope Gardens, she has earned two degrees, saved up to buy her own car, and now has a place of her own. Today, she works as a case manager working with families at Union Rescue Mission.

Please take a moment now and watch Kimjoy's story to see the incredible ways God has worked in her life.

Then please give generously today to help feed hungry neighbors this Thanksgiving. You'll transform lives with every $2.54 meal you provide.

Thank you for caring for those most in need in our community.