There are days when you get a word of “Thanks” and you know that you are in the right place at the right time of your life. Two weeks ago I had a few of those days.
I attended a luncheon for a wonderful group of Lawyers and staff at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, with one of our precious moms from URM’s Hope Gardens Family Center. O’Melveny & Myers LLP had gathered food, gifts and clothes for Union Rescue Mission. They overwhelmed us with gifts! Our mom did a wonderful job of sharing, she said, “Before I came to Hope Gardens all of my dreams were deferred, and I thought they were dead, but now my dreams have awakened and I am alive again, studying to be a nurse.” It is hard to describe the joy I had inside.
The next day I received this letter from another mom at Hope Gardens:
I am a resident at Hope Gardens and I am writing you to let you know how grateful and appreciative I am. Around this time last year, I was 7 months pregnant and sleeping on the streets. I was cold, scared, hungry and tired. I was too scared to ask for help. I thought that everyone had turned their back on me. I didn’t think anyone would even want to help me. Finally I got tired of the cold and hunger and asked for help. I ended up staying at the cold weather shelter in West Covina and then a couple of nights at West LA shelter until I was able to find a more stable place. If it wasn’t for the cold weather shelters, I don’t know where I would be. I hope others see them as much of a blessing as I do. Also I want to thank you for all you do. Your staff here at Hope Gardens are so caring and loving. I have never felt so much love in my life. It’s so overwhelming I want to cry. Not because I’m sad, but because I’m happy. I hope that others will be able to experience this happiness.
Last night I learned that the first mom who walked into our Burbank Winter Shelter on Dec. 1st, cold, afraid, desperate for help, and clutching her beautiful 5 month old baby in her arms, moved into the safety of Hope Gardens last week!
This is too much joy to keep within me, and I had to share it with all of you who have made these words of thanks possible. Bless you, Andy B.
Over the last year, Union Rescue Mission has produced a series of short documentaries titled Stories from Skid Row. These short films are a behind the scenes look at the lives of individuals who are being served, as well as the staff and volunteers at URM. Stories from Skid Row provide a glimpse into the issues surrounding homelessness and the work being done to combat this serious problem in Los Angeles.
We will continue to produce the series throughout 2009. Please share these with your friends and family. There are several way for people to view the films and keep up with the latest stories. Click on the logo below for information.
Volunteers from Nestle USA spent Christmas Eve grilling over 1500 steaks for our guests at Union Rescue Mission. In addition to sharing their time serving the homeless and working poor, the group also provided gift bags to our guests filled with Nestle products.
Thank you to Nestle for sponsoring an incredible meal and for sharing your time with our guests. We are so blessed to have such wonderful volunteers. We couldn’t do our work without you!
Volunteers from SUBWAY served over 2000 subway sandwiches to our guests at Union Rescue Mission on December 23, 2008. This is the twelfth consecutive year that Los Angeles area SUBWAY restaurants have partnered with URM during the Holidays.
SUBWAY will also distribute flyers to their LA area patrons asking them to make a donation to Union Rescue Mission at www.urm.org/subway. As a thank you to those who donate $10 or more, SUBWAY is offering a $10 discount coupon that can be used toward a catering order of $30 or more (some restrictions apply).
We are so grateful for the support and smiling faces of all the SUBWAY volunteers. Thank You!!!
The Christmas spirit is in the air at the Union Rescue Mission. For two whole days, struggling families in the community ventured through URM’s Christmas Store shopping for their loved ones—parents for their kids, kids for their parents. We had over 750 families shop at the store.
The Mission’s chapel was transformed to feel just like a department store with thousands of newly purchased gifts on display and volunteers dressed as gift wrapping elves. Parents left the store overjoyed with personally selected gifts for their children to open on Christmas. Over 5000 gifts were given away this year!
Thank you to our donors and volunteers who helped make the 17th annual Christmas Store a success. We had 248 volunteers over the two day period. Here are some quotes from the families that ‘shopped’ at our Store, as well as quotes from our volunteers:
“I’ve been blessed all my life and it warms my heart to be able to give back and be a part of making this year a special Christmas for these families. Union Rescue Mission is doing a wonderful job, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.” – Paris Hilton, Volunteer
“I am excited because it’s amazing to get something for them. Sometimes we cannot, so it’s amazing. I don’t know what I want to get them yet, I have to look. But everything is good. Any toy will be good for them.” – Miriam & her two daughters-age 6 & 8, Hope Gardens Residents.
“I just think the Christmas Store is amazing. Without all that Hope Gardens and URM has done for my kids I wouldn’t even have a Christmas for my kids. And I can’t believe that there’s snow. Nice touch.” – Joanne, Hope Gardens Resident
“I got 2 CD players with radio, one for each my daughters, and 2 gigantic teddy bears. I know they will love it. The Christmas Store is incredible. It looks like a department store—with snow and everything.” – Lucy, Hope Gardens Resident
“It’s wonderful to share with all these people. I was brought by my dear friend who comes to volunteer every Tuesday and I wanted to do my part too. I’m loving this. I love wrapping gifts, and this is perfect for me. I could wrap all day–as I will be.” – Kate, Volunteer
“The Christmas Store is a beautiful thing and I’m very thankful. The volunteers are so nice and very helpful. They are helping me pick out some great gifts. We’re picking out some great books—Dr. Suess and Curious George. I’m so thankful. My son is going to be very happy.” – Donya, Hope Gardens Resident
“This is my first time volunteering at the Union Rescue Mission. I just wanted to help. I’ve been looking for a place to volunteer for a while and I think I’ve found the perfect place. The Christmas Store is perfect. It makes sense. It feels good, it’s nice. I love the snow. I’m glad to see happy faces.” – Gerlianne, Volunteer
“I think the Christmas Store is fantastic. It’s a big, big blessing and we’re really thankful. I’m here shopping for 3 children, my two daughters–ages 2 and 3, and my son—age 7. My son is going to be so surprised because he really got a nice toy thanks to the Union Rescue Mission. We’re really loving the store today.” - Joe Robinson Sr., URM Families Resident.
“I think the Christmas Store is wonderful—a blessing from God. I’m shopping for my 6 children. I got a scooter, games, dolls, socks and booties. I’m going to give my kids the gifts on Christmas day and make it more fun for them.” – Charlotte, URM Resident
“I’ve never seen something like this before. It’s very organized and I see everyone working so hard to keep everything running well. The volunteers are in very good spirits. They treat you really well, and make you feel good.
My daughter saw a jacket a few weeks ago and tried it on. Then she asked me if she could get it to wear to a concert coming up. I had to tell her that it was too expensive for me. But now I was able to get her a really quality jacket and some nice jewelry from the Christmas Store. I can give it to her all at once. She’s going to be really excited. I know she’s going to love it.” – Rosalba, URM Resident
Steve Lopez of the LA Times writes about a mother and daughter who living in their car.
So you think you’ve got it bad this holiday season? Here’s a story that will put things in perspective for you, no matter how grim your job prospects or how invisible your shrinking retirement fund.
The other day, at their invitation, I met Kerry Himmel, an unemployed truck driver, and her 16-year-old daughter, Destiny, at a McDonald’s on Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley.
But they weren’t there to eat. That’s where they live.
On Wednesday, December 24th over 100 volunteers from Nestle USA will spend the day and evening serving meals at Union Rescue Mission.
For the past 3 years Nestle employees and their families have expressed an overwhelming desire to share the holidays in Skid Row with the people served by Union Rescue Mission. “At Nestle, we feel if we are to continue to be the number one food and beverage company in America, we have to not only make the very best food and beverage products, but we have to make the communities we do business in better. One way for us to do that is to support the great work Union Rescue Mission is doing”, said Ken Bentley, Vice President of Community Affairs and Educational Programs.
In addition to sharing their time serving the homeless and working poor, the group will be gifting all Mission guests with a Nestle food bag.
Paris Hilton, her sister Nicky and mother Kathy, volunteered at Union Rescue Mission’s Christmas Store on Thursday, December 18th. They, along with all our volunteers, brought joy and smiles to our families and children.
This is URM’s 17th annual Christmas store and more than 2,000 children will receive Christmas gifts this year after their parents shop for presents.
Cara Mia DiMassa and Richard Winton of the LA Times write about the recent settlement between the ACLU and the LAPD.
Los Angeles police officers face significant restrictions on when they can search people under a agreement announced Thursday that settles a landmark homeless right case.
The agreement comes 18 months after a federal judge found that the LAPD was unconstitutionally searching homeless people in the skid row area as part of Chief William J. Bratton’s crackdown on downtown crime.
Jessica Garrison of the LA Times writes about the increase in families who are homeless this season. Several individuals from Union Rescue Mission were interviewed.
The economic crisis and cold weather have created a larger than usual influx of families to shelters in Los Angeles County this year, according to shelter officials and other service providers.
On Wednesday, officials at the Union Rescue Mission, which runs the county’s cold-weather shelters, held an emergency meeting to figure out what to do when they run out of hotel vouchers for families, which could happen this month. The numbers, said Chief Executive Andy Bales, are sobering: The region’s winter shelters and the skid row mission have seen 86 families in the last three weeks.
By comparison, last year the agency took in 20 families at its emergency shelters over the entire cold weather season from Dec. 1 to March 15, with 15 to 20 more at its downtown mission. Two weeks ago, the mission downtown opened up its fifth floor to two-parent families and single fathers with children, something it has never had to do before. It may also convert its chapel to sleeping quarters.
