Summer 2020 the Mission hopes to break ground for the first building on our new campus. Hope Medical Respite Care will be a building that houses up to 32 people who are homeless and are being discharged from hospitalization. During the two to four week stay, participants will recuperate as we help them identify permanent housing. We are excited as we see a dream moving towards becoming a reality, and we are grateful for the part all of you are playing in bringing the campus into being. This is only a beginning and we are continuing to work towards raising funds that will build the residences for our Hope for Men and Women's program. Thank you for partnering in this incredible effort to help people.
LEARN MORE HERE
Hope Impact
Hope Impact, with Matt St. Pierre, Executive Director of Restore Merced
When I think about what it means to be made in God's image, the word relationships comes to mind. Just as God exists in relationship - Father, Son, and Spirit - human beings need healthy relationships to thrive - with God, self, others, and creation. The same is true of organizations, especially churches and faith-based ministries. We are called to be obedient to what God is asking us to do, knowing that we are just a part of the body of Christ. Restore Merced's relationship with the Rescue Mission is one of those healthy relationships that I believe makes both organizations better at what we each are called to do.
Over the last 18 months we've run a work program at Restore Merced called Restore Jobs. We give individuals with major barriers to employment paid work experience, classes, case management, and assist with long term job placement. The Rescue Mission has been an incredible partner in this work. 95% of our employees have come by way of the Mission and have continued living in one of their Sober Living houses while working for us. They even get rent discount that recognizes their part-time employment and the importance of their commitment to our program.
Tim, David, and Warren have all been a gift to labor alongside for God's Kingdom here in Merced. I'm grateful for the tireless work they do to find long-term housing and recovery solutions for some of our most marginalized neighbors. I truly believe that we are better together.
Hope Impact
By Rev. Stephen Hammond,
Senior Pastor of Bethel Community Church,
Los Banos
Our hearts are overflowing with excitement this Christmas season as the Merced County Rescue Mission has fulfilled what many have longed for and known that we desperately needed on the Westside of Merced County. They have opened a Respite Care house and a Bridging house in Los Banos. For years we have had to send homeless individuals out of town and even out of the county to find a place for them to stay and receive the help that they greatly needed. The impact of these two houses has been immediate. People who have been struggling to find a way out of their situation are now housed and on the road to recovery. Others who need a healthier environment to recover from their medical needs are safe and secure in a loving setting.
As the Senior Pastor of Bethel Community Church in Los Banos, we are fully committed to see these two houses succeed. Their importance to the work that we are all doing on the Westside of Merced County cannot be overstated. We have partnered with the Merced County Rescue Mission and their staff to fill their houses with people, with provisions, with volunteers, and with prayer to ensure that these houses will stay open and filled. Our church has worked with the homeless for over 15 years now, and this is the most exciting event that has happened in Los Banos in that time and even before. We are thrilled and are already seeing the dramatic impact upon our community. From our hearts here at Bethel we say, “Thank You” to the Merced County Rescue Mission for this endeavor.
Free Christmas Eve Banquet!
Free Christmas Eve Banquet for low-income families and those experiencing homelessness. Santa Claus will be there to hand out toys to Children! December 24th, 10am-12pm, at the American Legion Hall, 939 W. Main Street, Merced.
WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:
Volunteer Information: Contact Tim Adam, (209) 947-1394
Toy Drive: To donate toys towards this event, please drop off new, unwrapped toys for ages 0-13 at our office, 644 W. 20th Street, Merced.
Holiday Food Drive: Collecting non-perishable food to help with this banquet and meals throughout the year! All donations will be appreciated!!
THANK YOU!!
Toy Drive Update
The Rescue Mission would like to thank the County Department of Education for once again donating hundreds of shoe boxes filled with toys for needy children. These will be distributed at our Christmas Eve Banquet by Santa Claus at the American Legion Hall on Dec. 24th, 10am-12pm.
The Mission still needs more toys. If you're able to donate towards our Holiday Toy Drive, any donations are appreciated! We're collecting new, unwrapped toys for ages 0-13 now through Dec. 24th. Please drop off donations at our office, 644 W 20th St., Merced.
Your Gifts Make Hope Possible!
By Dr. Bruce Metcalf, Executive Director of Merced County Rescue Mission
I want to let you know how much we appreciate your generosity and your role in supporting the Rescue Mission. We could not exist without YOU! There are two important ways we would appreciate your support of the Rescue Mission with a year-end gift. Our immediate need is for donations towards our faith-based programs. These donations carry the Mission through to the Oasis Dinner in May. When you donate to our faith-based, life transformation programs, you are supporting men and women as they leave the streets, addiction, and incarceration to find a new life and begin their journey of faith. The powerful testimonies that we share are the result of our programs and your support. They give men and women a place where God can work in their lives and help them discover the person they were created to be! Our faith-based men and women programs rely solely on individual donations from our community – YOU make a difference! Likewise, over half of the funding for the faith-based buildings on our future campus depend on your donations (Building Hope Campaign).
A great beginning! The Mission wants to also share with you some exciting news about funding we’ve received for the Respite Care facility that will be the first to be built on our new campus! Central California Alliance for Health (CCAH) and Dignity Health are making it possible for the Mission to begin building on the five acres of land we purchased last December on Cone Avenue just south of the Fair Grounds. Plans for the new campus include a Respite Care facility for 32 participants, a 10-unit apartment building for homeless Veterans, a 10-unit apartment building for homeless families with young children, three buildings for men and women in a faith-based recovery program (Building Hope Campaign), and a building for homeless pregnant women.
While we continue the development of this new campus, we are looking for grants and major donors to help, but it will be the contributions from all of us put together that God will use to make all this possible!
Please consider a year-end donation to the Mission to keep our men & women faith-based programs going strong into 2020! Men and women, who want life change, depend on your contributions. Be a part of their journey of faith by supporting our participants!
From all of us at the Merced County Rescue Mission, we wish you and your family a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Mission feeds 1,000 on Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, the Merced County Rescue Mission fed about 1,000 people, of which approximately 650 attended the Thanksgiving Banquet. The Mission would like to thank the whole community, including churches, clubs, businesses, organizations and many individuals who joined us to make today possible. May God bless all of you for all that you have done.
