Holiday Banquets Are Back, Your Help is Needed!

The Merced County Rescue Mission is once again coordinating banquets to serve people who are experiencing homelessness on both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve. Both of these events will be held outside in the Behavioral Health Department parking lot between New Directions and the D Street Shelter (200 E. 15th Street). The Rescue Mission is coordinating its efforts with New Directions, the D Street Shelter, area churches, and other organizations. Serving these special meals is a beautiful example of our whole community coming together to care for people. Some clothing and other items will also be available at these events.

• Thanksgiving Day, November 25th at 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - 200 E. 15th Street

• Christmas Eve, December 24th at 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - 200 E. 15th Street

Your help is needed!

We need food donations for the banquets and meals throughout the year.

Food Donations: Please bring non-perishable food donations to 644 W. 20th Street, Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For Thanksgiving: We are in need of pre-cooked, boneless turkey breast, #10 cans of corn and green beans, boxes of instant mashed potatoes, turkey gravy mix, chicken broth, dinner rolls, pies.

For Christmas Eve: We need hams, #10 cans of corn and green beans, russet potatoes, dinner rolls, desserts.

Come to the Event In Person - To serve meals, to visit with people, to help us set up and/or clean up. Come to 200 E. 15th Street in Merced at 10:30 am on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Eve.

It takes a Village of Hope! Thank you for your contributions!

Questions? Call (209) 722-9269, Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

If your business or organization would like to participate in this food drive, now through December 24, and would like a collection barrel dropped off at your location, please call Anthony at (209) 947-8493.

Help us furnish the new Village of Hope campus!

We are excited and grateful to be receiving offers to help furnish the new campus. Gateway Community Church is working to furnish four lounges. Winton-Ireland Insurance Company is helping to provide furnishings. A number of individuals have also stepped forward to provide funding for this special project. There are still plenty of rooms that need sponsors and there is room for you to participate. Get creative! You can help as an individual, a family, a group of friends, a club, a church, or a business. There are many ways you can help us furnish the new Village of Hope campus, which will provide a place for families and veterans experiencing homelessness as well as those who are discharged from the hospital with no place to go. This is an opportunity for you to furnish a room in honor or in memory of a loved one as an ongoing tribute to them. Click here for more details.

A New Assignment - A New Adventure

My name is Don Borgwardt, and I started with the Mission a year ago. Back then I was a Peer Navigator with the Hope for Men program. It was a wonderful experience shepherding men in recovery and my confidence had grown in understanding the work of the Mission. But, as in life, all things are susceptible to change, and I was called upon to take on a different program.

That program is the Hope Respite program. A new assignment comes with both challenges and opportunities, so the first important step is to have some idea of what the program does. I found I was lacking a bit in that and soon found I was in for a steep learning curve. I always considered myself to be resilient and flexible, so I was ready to take on the challenge. For those that don’t know the Hope Respite, the program offers people coming from the hospital with medical conditions a place to stabilize during their recovery. It offers a bed with meals, monitoring of their conditions, and assistance in getting to and from needed appointments. In addition, staff sets objective goals so that the participants can get support for independent living and housing needs.

New responsibilities come with building new skills such as learning medical terminology and how to take vitals, introducing myself to relationships with our partners Dignity Health, Sutter Medical, and Central Valley Alliance, and understanding how to provide the best care for our clients. Now I am working on utilizing the information from our medical providers to continue the quality of care that they provide at their facilities and developing new strategies for processing clients’ intake and administering services. It is really about working in and learning from those around me to continue to grow and refine the Hope Respite program. I have called this an adventure because anything that can provide a challenge and help you learn is truly an adventure.

I would also be remiss if I did not recognize the provision that comes from having a servant heart and a relationship with Christ. All these folks are God’s people, and to provide for them requires that I grow in my knowledge and understanding. I am privileged to have the opportunity to serve in this program in the Mission. My desire is to make this the best program I can for the Mission and the clients… until the next New Adventure!

Managing Hope for Women

Hello, my name is Misty. I have been working at the Merced County Rescue Mission since February 2020. During my assignment here at the Mission, I was gifted with the opportunity to become the Program Manager for the Hope for Women faith-based, life transformation program. Since accepting this new assignment, I have experienced many challenges and many more joys!

I will have been in Recovery and Re-dedicated to Christ for over 15 years as of October 11, 2021. Managing at Hope for Women is truly the desire of my heart that only the Lord could have placed there and been so gracious to allow me to minister in this way. I have seen the Holy Spirit move in mighty ways: deliverance, healing hearts, love that conquers all, second chances at motherhood, women attending universities and colleges, physical health regained, mental health restored, and the greatest gift of all - a truly intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life!

Some of the challenges we are facing now is the overflow of women who want to enter. We are full and may overflow soon, Lord willing. The challenge for me is to make sure that the services received in this program are of excellent quality. Jesus knows we need willing and skilled hands and feet! This requires financial means to support this ministry. God is a way-maker, I know this for sure!

Ephesians 3:20 - Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Baptisms at Gateway Community Church on August 29th!

Staff Relationships - A Summer BBQ

Relationships are a key ingredient to staff development and staff morale. On Sunday, August 15th, the staff from the Mission put together an all-day BBQ at Yosemite Lake and invited all their families. The Mission staff just likes being together. In many ways, the staff at the Mission is like a big family. On Wednesday mornings a group of twenty or more staff members get together for Bible study and prayer. Other group Bible studies are taking place. But the staff certainly does enjoy getting together to eat and to play. The menu included barbequed and teriyaki chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, tamales, and all kinds of salads and side dishes and desserts. Not only was there plenty of fellowship, some braver souls tried kayaking, others tried their hand at horse-shoes. A portion of the afternoon gave recognition to time spent free from alcohol and drugs and this ranged from one month to 27 years. The day was a blessing and relationships deepened. As we think about staff development and the positive morale that exists in the work-place at the Mission, we want to keep pouring the love of Jesus into each other so that we can in turn share Christ’s love with the people we serve.

Our Staff, A Valuable Resource

STAFF DEVELOPMENT - A PRIORITY

The Merced County Rescue Mission recognizes our staff as a valuable resource. The staff sustains an excellent program that provides hope and an opportunity for life change for people experiencing homelessness or hopelessness. Because we believe in our staff and recognize their value, it is our desire to invest in them and provide development opportunities that will enhance their skills, their personal effectiveness and prepare them for future opportunities both within the Mission and beyond. Praise and encouragement for jobs well done are basic components in staff development. Many people on our staff have come from backgrounds where they were abused and put down and, as a result, have lost confidence and faith in themselves. For the 90 percent of our staff members who have gone through our programs, the ACE Overcomers class, which helps participants deal with adverse childhood experiences, has been a significant help in facing past trauma. Building our staff up and helping them to believe in themselves and to develop confidence in their own skills and abilities is extremely important in our work with each other. It is encouraging to see people who have been down and out rising up and take control of their lives as they turn their attention to helping others. Many of our staff members are so grateful and excited about what God has done in their lives that they are enthusiastic about helping others to experience what they have received.

Educational opportunities are also of great importance in staff development. In some cases, helping our staff earn their G.E.D. has proved to be a real step forward. Others on our staff have enrolled at Merced College where some have received an AA degree, and some are still in process. Staff who work in the Senior Meals program receive help in getting their “Serve Safe” certification. This certification allows staff members to serve food and is not only important for retaining employment but opens doors for jobs throughout the food industry. Thirteen members of our staff have enrolled in CCAPP (California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals). Seven have completed the program and six are in process. The CCAPP program is a 14-month long program where participants attend 6 hours every Saturday. The CCAPP program provides a credential recognized by the State of California and those who complete the program are certified as Alcohol and Drug Counselors. In addition to the classroom time, participants in this program must complete 3,000 hours of supervised field practicum.

Some time ago the Mission’s Board of Directors made the decision to invest in our staff by financially helping them enroll in the CCAPP program. We are excited to announce that in August the Mission received a grant that will help cover the costs for staff to receive the CCAPP credentialing as Peer Support Specialists. These grants are invaluable as they make it possible for the Mission to continue encouraging and also financially supporting staff members to progress in their own professional development. During the past two months, you have read 24 testimonies from staff members expressing how God has changed their lives. These are the people the Mission wants to continue investing in and developing. As a Mission, we know that God has brought people to us to transform and mold into His image. As we make staff development a priority, we not only strengthen individuals, but we strengthen the Mission as a whole.