Congrats Graduates!

Hope, Growth, Future

On November 14th, Love INC celebrated the graduation of about 15 people who successfully completed the 14-week Love Plus program. About 12 of the people taking the course were from the Mission’s Hope for Men and Hope for Women programs. During this course, participants were paired with mentors who worked with them through the course. The men and women from the Mission gained a great deal from this experience, including learning how to properly budget, how to cope with emotions, and how to interview for employment. Most of all, through the classes and the relationships that they developed with their mentors, each participant came to have a closer relationship with Jesus. The Mission is grateful to Love INC for offering this wonderful opportunity to the men and women in our programs!

Mission Program Gradutes

On December 10th, the Mission's quarterly graduation ceremony took place at Grace Community Church. Those who graduated had completed the 9-month Life Transformation program - Hope for Men and Hope for Women. In addition, many of the participants received multiple certificates for completing various classes on their way to graduating. The evening was a time of inspiration and encouragement!

The graduation ceremonies are far more than a ritual. These events are a celebration of hard work and lives that God has dramatically changed.

Thank you for blessing the Mission!

Food Drive

We are extremely grateful to all the schools, churches, and businesses that participated in the Food Drive! Your great efforts provided food for our holiday banquets and have given the Mission a storehouse of food from which we can prepare meals throughout the year. Presently, the Mission is serving about 900 meals every day throughout over 30 locations.

Year-end Giving

You are a blessing. 2 Corinthians 9:8

The year-end giving campaign has once again been a tremendous source of blessing for the Mission. The incredible response from all of you, our donors, demonstrates your support of the Mission’s programs as we participate together in this wonderful endeavor to transform lives.

Even as God revealed His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to come to earth and bring salvation, God continues to reveal His great love by transforming lives every day. What a joy it is to be a part of God’s work!

Banquets and Toy Drive

Both the Thanksgiving and Christmas Banquets served to bless our community. At each event, over 1,000 meals were served. Elderly folks without a place to go were welcomed as family. Families experiencing limited resources found a place to feast and receive presents for their children. People without housing were able to come and enjoy a sumptuous meal and receive clothing. Over 100 volunteers at each event brought desserts and gave their time to serve. These banquets displayed the outpouring of generosity by our community to care for those whom God wants to bless.

Thank you to all who donated toys for our annual toy drive. At the Christmas Eve Banquet, Santa gave toys to children 0-12 years old. Thank you for being a blessing to those in need in our community!

Christmas Presents for Children

A huge thank you to the employees from the Merced School District who coordinated an effort to put over 180 presents together for kids at our Christmas Banquet. Children who attended the Christmas Banquet with their parents received a gift from Santa.

jackets - The gift of warmth this winter

Families and friends from Hilmar brought over 70 new coats to the Mission to be distributed to men, women, and children. Thank you so much for this incredible gift that will keep so many people warm this winter!!

Donations of Hygiene Items to Those in Need

The Mission is always in need of hygiene necessities to pass out to those who are unhoused. We are always grateful to those of you who help, by bringing these items to us. Recently, we were blessed by both Atwater High and the California Psychiatric Transitions in Delhi who brought in supplies of these much-needed items. Thank you for your great support!

Have a passion for pets?

Please help! Our pet-friendly Navigation Center needs donations of dry dog food. Donations can be dropped off at the Mission office, 644 W. 20th Street, Merced (Monday-Friday, 9 am - 4 pm). Click here to view our Chewy wishlist.

We would also like to thank Dr. Eileen Wise, a veterinarian, who generously gives care to the dogs staying in the Navigation Center. The dogs are happy, healthy, and fed, thanks to all of you!

We also need your help to immunize, spay, and neuter pets! Choose this as your gift designation at the time of your donation, click here. This is a tremendous help to those coming to us from the streets who have pets with them.

We appreciate all donations and your prayers! Thank you!

Sponsor a Senior Meal

The Merced County Rescue Mission has been contracting with Merced County for over ten years to provide nutritious meals for seniors five days a week. These meals are provided in seven locations throughout Merced County. Over 2,300 meals are served every month. Many of the seniors are not able to contribute the full amount of the suggested daily contribution towards their meal.

We would like to ask for your help in covering some of the cost to make sure our seniors receive a nutritious meal every day. Our fundraiser to help provide meals for seniors is taking place during September and October.

Contributions can be made out to Senior Meals and sent to P.O. Box 3319, Merced, CA 95344.

THANK YOU!

Holiday Toy Drive

Every year our Christmas Eve Banquet serves hundreds of individuals and families in need. We provide traditional holiday meals and Santa is there to give toys to children ages 0-12. We invite you to help us collect toys to ensure we have enough for those in need. All donations are appreciated!

Please drop off new, unwrapped toys at the Mission office, 644 W. 20th Street, Merced. If you have any questions, please call Boone, (209) 819-0907.

Nila's House

Nila started volunteering at the Merced Rescue Mission in 2017, helping where she could. In 2019, she began volunteering in the Respite Care program. She spent most of her time working with participants who needed that little extra care due to their health issues. Nila had her own health concerns, so she was able to approach them with understanding.

For most of our participants, the medical field can be hard to navigate, and their health is the last thing on their minds. Nila spent most of her hours helping them understand the importance of a healthy diet, healthy numbers for blood pressure, mental health, and managing their diabetes. She would meet the participants where they were and help them get to a place of self-sufficiency. Nila loved going to commencement nights and seeing the Respite Care participants receive a certificate for completing health courses. As Nila watched many participants suffer in their last days, she served as an advocate who fought for their dignity.

On January 2, 2020, Nila became an employee of the Rescue Mission, and that is when her light shined even brighter on our participants who needed a little more time for recuperation. On January 13, 2024, Nila went home to be with the Lord. Many employees and participants were affected by her passing. Today, 9 months later, participants still walk into the Respite Care office and see Nila's hand in the things we do and the way we approach the participants.

When the Rescue Mission opened a new house for Short-term Post Hospitalization, it was named Nila’s Place in honor of her work and her life of dedication to those she served. We continue helping participants who need that extra little help and assistance with the medical field and their health issues. Since Nila’s Place opened, we have received many compliments on how the house feels when you walk in. A few of the participants knew Nila and said they could feel her presence and love there. We hope that we can continue to serve others the way Nila did.