Archive for October, 2008
by monica on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008, Filed Under The Latest | View Comments
The Hope Gardens seniors and families have arrived home after the recent fires. It is amazing to experience God’s grace. The entire land around Hope Gardens is burned up and barren, but Hope Gardens is completely green and untouched! Praise God! As we got on site, we gathered on the green lawn and shared praises, with everyone responding “Praise Be To God”. Kids and parents shared praises: life, not burning the trees, protecting Hope Gardens, and families coming together in a tough time. Praise be to God! We then sang Amazing Grace and enjoyed God’s blessing! We are so proud of the Hope Gardens residents, for their courage and strength! Praise God with us as we worship His goodness.
by monica on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, Filed Under General, In The News, The Latest | View Comments
As 125 homeless women and children fled Hope Gardens early Sunday while a towering wall of wind-fueled flames swept down Lopez Canyon, the blaze suddenly changed course and veered around the rustic facility – leaving a green oasis in the midst of charred landscape.
“The fire captain told me the fire was coming down the hill, burning hot and high, and out of nowhere, it suddenly turned and went around our facility,” Hope Gardens Chief Operating Officer Scott Johnson said. “They have no idea why. We call it the hand of God.”
Please click here to read the entire article from The Daily News or copy and paste this link http://www.dailynews.com/wildfires/ci_10722085
by alex on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, Filed Under In The News | View Comments
Troy Anderson of the LA Daily News reports on the LA Fires and Hope Gardens.
As 125 homeless women and children fled Hope Gardens early Sunday while a towering wall of wind-fueled flames swept down Lopez Canyon, the blaze suddenly changed course and veered around the rustic facility – leaving a green oasis in the midst of charred landscape.
“The fire captain told me the fire was coming down the hill, burning hot and high, and out of nowhere, it suddenly turned and went around our facility,” Hope Gardens Chief Operating Officer Scott Johnson said. “They have no idea why. We call it the hand of God.”
Click here to read the article.
by monica on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008, Filed Under General, Press Releases | View Comments
See attached latest Media Update regarding Lopez Canyon Fire that caused evacuations and the loss of thousands of dollars worth of food to feed over 100 homeless families that reside at Hope Garden’s Family Center.
Click here: urm-media-update1
by monica on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008, Filed Under General, Press Releases, The Latest | View Comments
Monday, October 13, 2008
Ninth District Councilwoman, Jan Perry, visited Union Rescue Mission to encourage evacuees from the fire in Lopez Canyon, home to Hope Gardens Family Center.
Jan Perry and her chief of staff, Kathy Godfrey had gathered donations of items needed by the moms and children who evacuated the Mission’s facility near Sylmar with little more than the clothes on their backs. Most were still in their pajamas when they arrived at the Mission’s main facility in downtown Los Angeles.. Councilwoman Perry delivered diapers of all sizes, formula, socks, women’s and children’s underwear, clothing, hygiene items, lotions and hair supplies for the moms and senior women plus toothpaste, tooth brushes, soaps, baby wipes, blankets, bed sheets and pillows and much more. The CCEA (Central City East Association) were one of the groups contributing to the items Perry brought to URM.
The personal visit and boxes of much needed supplies were enthusiastically welcomed by the evacuees. 23 senior women, 27 moms and 75 children evacuated the Mission’s Hope Gardens facility in the early morning hours Sunday October 12th.
(From left to right): Councilwoman, Jan Perry, Debbiekay Smith, URM Case Manager; Laura Bartlet, URM Program Manager with VP of Women’s Ministries, Scott Chamberlain.
by monica on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008, Filed Under General | View Comments
The staff and residents of Hope Gardens escaped the fire which has burned more than 3,700 acres in the Angeles National Forest with only the clothes on their backs. All of the residents have been temporarily relocated to Union Rescue Mission leaving us in desperate need of supplies.
Union Rescue Mission’s Chief Operations Officer, Scott Johnson, was allowed to visit the site today and reported no fire damage to any of the facilities buildings. He also reported there was no electricity and that has caused the approximately $68,000 worth of food stored to feed Hope Gardens residents. In the mean time, families are safe and are being cared for at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles.
Please pray for our neighbors in Kagel Canyon, the firefighters, and our facility.
We specifically need:
- Baby supplies (diapers of all sizes, formula, wipes, etc).
- Undergarments for women and children
- Milk
- Canned Food
- Financial donations which allow us to buy supplies in bulk
Please call Scott Johnson at 213-494-0591 or Scott Chamberlain at 626-808-8214
Thank you for your generosity.
by alex on Monday, October 13th, 2008, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
Launched 117 years ago, Union Rescue Mission faced a challenge similar to what it appears we are facing right now. About 79 years ago, as the Great Depression hit the US and Los Angeles. During those tough years, URM actually expanded its services to meet the need – one point in time URM was feeding 50% of the hungry people in the City of Los Angeles. When we weren’t feeding people, our job training program was actively working to find employment for hundreds of desperate people hoping for work and a little money each day. This is what happens when the rest of the economic world seems to crumble around us. We can’t cut back on programs or services because the rest of the world and our fellow human beings need us more than ever.
I lied awake the entire night last Wednesday contemplating URM’s response to what appears to be coming our way. Calls to the Los Angeles County hotline from families losing their homes have doubled in recent months. The sheriff in Chicago, Illinois has put a moratorium on any further evictions after foreclosures or failure to pay rent because as he says, “there are just too many families on the streets already!”
After this sleepless night, I came in with the resolve that we will prepare for more families and not less. We have reorganized and opened up our 5th floor for families, in addition to the 4th floor of our building so that we can house double of the number of two parent families, single moms with children, and single dads with children who are coming our way in droves. We have prepared ourselves for the long haul by cutting costs where we can but increasing services and we realize that these desperate families will be staying with us for longer periods than they have in the past. We are at our normal capacity in our men’s and women’s guest areas, but we are creatively strategizing on ways that we can increase our capacity so that we don’t turn anyone in need away.
We want to live up to URM’s reputation and history of stepping up to the need during the most desperate of times. We can do this because our Hope is in the LORD and we know we can rely on our generous and faithful donors who give to others no matter how difficult things become in their own life.
Thanks to all who are helping us through this challenging time. Bless you! Andy B.
by alex on Monday, October 13th, 2008, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
The hearts of URM staff and guests are going out to a gentleman known as John, or Grimley, who was homeless and brutally doused with gasoline and lit on fire, causing his death this past Thursday evening in the Mid-Wilshire area of downtown. Our hearts also go out to the wonderful people who looked out for him each day, and to those who tried to save him from the fire.
His tragic death re-emphasizes the need for our work of loving people who have lost their homes and everything that they had only to find themselves reduced to trying to survive on the tough streets of our city. It also motivates us to speak up in an even stronger way that each one of our friends who is homeless is a precious human being, made in the image of God, and highly valued by God. That is why I strive each day to make sure that Union Rescue Mission stays focused on our calling to reach out to the folks who the rest of the world seems to have given up on and forgotten. As we approach our 118th year of serving the least and the lost of Los Angeles, we will continue that commitment in the years ahead, hoping that one day our great city will live up to the title of the City of Angels by making sure that not one precious human being is left to live on these mean streets. -Rev. Andy Bales
by monica on Sunday, October 12th, 2008, Filed Under In The News, The Latest | View Comments
Child in Stroller: One of the youngest evacuees from Hope Gardens Family Center is one year old, Jeremy. Jeremy and mom, Jenna we’re one of the families that had to leave Hope Gardens early Sunday morning in a mandatory evacuation due to the Lopez Canyon fire. 
Elijah in emergency tent: Elijah was evacuated from Hope Gardens on Sunday morning, Oct. 12th due to the Lopez Canyon fire that came close to Hope Gardens Family Center, a ministry of the Union Rescue Mission. Elijah is trying out one of the emergency mobile tents at the Union Rescue Mission.
Emergency tents at Union Rescue Mission may be used indoors to sleep evacuees from the Lopez Canyon fire on October 12th. The tents were rolled into the Mission Chapel in case some of the moms and children would need extra beds at the Mission until they can return to Hope Gardens Family Center.
Lucy and daughters Ashley 14 (in red) and Christian 13 (in blue) at Union Rescue Mission after being evacuated from Hope Gardens Family Center early Sunday morning. Fire in Kagel and Lopez Canyons necessitated mandatory evacuation for residents in the area including Union Rescue Mission’s Hope Garden’s facility. 23 senior women, 27 moms and 75 children were evacuated to the Mission’s downtown facility on San Pedro Street.
Evacuees from Hope Gardens Family Center:
23 Senior Women
27 Moms
75 Children
by alex on Sunday, October 12th, 2008, Filed Under The Latest | View Comments
The Angeles National Park Fire is close to Hope Gardens and helicopters and firefighters are battling it. Our Hope Gardens facility has been evacuated and all of the residents have been temporarily relocated to Union Rescue Mission – as a result the squeeze is on.
We are in dire need of:
- Diapers of all sizes
- Formula
- Canned Food
- Financial donations
Please call Scott Johnson at 213-494-0591 or Scott Chamberlain at 626-808-8214
Pray for our neighbors in Kagel Canyon and Hope Gardens itself. Pray for the firefighters.
