A year and a half ago, someone told James, “You need to talk to your son. He’s struggling. Don’t you understand that what you’re doing to yourself affects him, too? He needs his father.” Because of drugs and alcohol, James was devastated by homelessness. His son, James, Jr., worked at a local Rescue Mission at the time, and he often saw his father there. It never occurred to James, Sr., how that was affecting his son. A couple days later, James spoke to him. James, Jr., looked at his father, with a pained look on his face, and said, “You can do better, Dad.” “Those words cut me,” James says. “But I heard him.”
“For the first time in my life, I found
direction and purpose.”
This Thanksgiving, men, women, children, and families at URM like James will give thanks for you!
James grew up in Mississippi. The racism he experienced there left him angry. The education he received left him ill-equipped for life. He was lost and spent years walking in circles, with no direction or goals. At 18, James moved to California and soon married the woman who would become the mother of his son. The marriage, however, was unstable and rocky.
“After a while, I didn’t want to go home after work,” he says. “I stayed out drinking and shooting pool. Eventually, I crossed a line with alcohol and drugs, and my life started plummeting down.” By 36, James had trouble holding on to jobs. He bounced around from gig to gig, earning just enough money to keep him supplied with drugs and alcohol. When his marriage finally ended, his wife got custody of James, Jr. “I messed up,” James says. “Then God started shutting doors in my life. When the Great Recession hit, the work dried up. I started living out of local Rescue Missions. When I had enough money, I got loaded.” When James had that conversation with his son, he says God finally got his attention and led him to Union Rescue Mission. “The moment I walked across the threshold into the Mission, I knew my life would never be the same,” he says. “I completely surrendered everything. Hearing the Word every day, studying Scripture, being surrounded by all these guys going in the same direction changed me. For the first time in my life, I found direction and purpose. I found my true north—to do the will of my Father and to be the father my son needed. Remember those slot cars we used to play with as kids? I’m just a slot car on God’s highway.”
Today, James is sober and working full-time at URM’s new Angeles House for families devastated by homelessness. “This Thanksgiving, I’ll give thanks for people like you,” James says to donors. “Your support gave me the chance to start my life over.”
Your Gifts At Work This November!
A Thanksgiving Timeline—
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!
11/17: THANKSGIVING PRE-PREP
– 12 – 8 P.M. URM kitchen staff and volunteers prep hundreds
of turkeys for frying.
11/18: TURKEY FRYDAY
– 7 A.M. President & CEO Andy Bales, along with our wonderful
volunteers, begin frying turkeys.
Turkey frying and side dish prep continues… with the help of
many awesome volunteers. Frying continues throughout the
day until midnight!
– 7:30 P.M. – 11 P.M. Transformation of the Dining Hall into a
5-star dining experience begins (cleaning, pipe and drape
assembly, decor, centerpieces, etc.).
11/19: THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION
– 7 A.M. Volunteers arrive.
– 10 A.M. Andy Bales welcomes guests and opens the day in prayer.
– 11 A.M. – 2:30 P.M. URM Thanksgiving Celebration begins! Our
guests enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving feast.
– 12:30 – 2 P.M. Grab-and-Go Meals are provided to the
unsheltered community of Skid Row. (Each individual will receive
a hot, nutritious Thanksgiving meal, drink, dessert, and an
outreach kit that includes a Bible.)
– 3 – 5 P.M. Clean-
Come be a Part of the URM Family this Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, inflation is devastating more and more individuals and families… and many are seeking our help at Union Rescue Mission. For some, this will be a painful holiday season—
but you can help!
Come be part of our Thanksgiving family, volunteer your time and love, and celebrate alongside so many who need someone like you to care. There are many ways for you to serve, both at our
main building in downtown LA, at Hope Gardens Family Center in Sylmar, or Angeles House in South Central. No matter what your skills, we can find a way for you to share love and hope with
those in need. Click the sign button to find out about all volunteer opportunities!
URM TOY DRIVE!
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For most people, Thanksgiving is a day of warmth, love, family, and gratitude. But for people devastated by homelessness, it’s too often a day of painful memories of wrong turns, families lost, and forgotten love. Not at Union Rescue Mission. For men, women, children, and families 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.
Right now, the Mission is really feeling the pressure of the rising costs of basic costs of the Thanksgiving meal this year . . . which means your gift helps serve our hurting neighbors a Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings – Fried Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and Pumpkin pie.
Thank you!
Please give hurting people a taste of love and the
chance to start over this Thanksgiving
NOTES FROM ANDY
A Season of Challenges, and Thanksgiving
As rising food, fuel, and housing costs continue to devastate vulnerable individuals and families in Los Angeles County, more people are turning to Union Rescue Mission for help than ever before. All three of our buildings—Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens, and Angeles House—are now at full capacity. We’re once again forced to open our gym and chapel as additional overflow areas. We’re even beginning to rent hotel rooms for guests as we refuse to leave women, children, and families on the streets. The need is so great, we’re already talking about our next big project to provide more shelter and hope for families. Worse, there’s no end in sight. Some are predicting that nearly 100,000 people could be experiencing homelessness on our streets by the end of the year. This Thanksgiving season will be one of our most challenging ever. Special friends like you, however, have always risen to the challenge— and this year we will need your help more than ever. Together, we can turn this season of challenge into a season of real gratitude for precious men, women, children, and families devastated by homelessness.
Thank you for partnering with us in this lifesaving,
life-changing work.
Blessings,Rev. Andy Bales, President and CEO