The Home Depot in Merced and Los Banos each donated $1,000 to Mission programs! Thank you to Kacy from the Merced Home Depot and Rachel and Daniel from the Los Banos Home Depot. It’s community members like you, businesses, and organizations who help make the Misson programs possible. Together we are changing lives here, in Merced County! Thank you for supporting God’s work through the Mission.
Village of Hope, Phase 1 Update
We are almost there! Construction should be completed the first or second week in December and then we will be moving in furnishings. David Carr, Director of Mission Programs, and Anthony Choza, Operations Manager, will be flying to Tennessee, renting a U-haul, and driving back with a load of beds and wardrobes. A long drive, but a savings of over $3,000 compared to paying for shipping costs. David and Anthony should get back to Merced by December 5th. On the 6th, we hope to start furnishing the facilities. Thanks to generous donors, the lounges are covered. We still need to raise funds to furnish quite a few apartments. It is exciting to see how God is working and to walk through facilities that will soon be occupied by people in need of help. We are hoping that we will be able to occupy the facilities with residents in the beginning of January. The date for a Grand Opening will also be announced, hopefully for a date in January. We will keep you all posted.
To learn more about the Village of Hope campus, phases 1 and 2, click here.
YOU ARE THE GIFT!
Christmas is a season of giving and receiving. God gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. In accepting Jesus into our lives, we receive the biggest gift imaginable, the gift of eternal life! The Merced Rescue Mission is all about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, His salvation, and the new life that we can experience as we receive Him.
In a world where darkness, evil, and bad news seem to be so pervasive, we are thrilled to be bearers of Good News! Men and women who have experienced the worst have come through our doors and found not only food and shelter, but acceptance and the love of Jesus which has transformed their lives.
In the past five years, the Mission has expanded from two locations and 30 beds to 24 locations with 250 beds. During this time period, hundreds of men and women, as well as families, have come to receive help. People have come to us after being released from incarceration. People experiencing homelessness have come to us from the streets. People have come to us who are addicted to drugs and alcohol and are often struggling with mental illness issues.
People are coming to the Mission because they have lost all hope. They are depressed and in despair, not knowing where to turn for help. When people come to the Mission, we make it our first priority to love them in the name of Jesus as we provide for their basic needs.
God is using the Mission to help and save people! God is using you to make this all possible! Your prayers and your donations provide the means through which the Mission is able to love people tangibly by supplying food, shelter, caring counselors, training, and classes that prepare people to move forward towards independence and self-sustainability. YOU ARE A GIFT TO US! YOU, OUR DONORS, ARE THE ONES MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGING LIVES! This is your mission! The people who come to us are your brothers and sisters in Christ! You are giving people an opportunity to turn their lives around and find peace, joy, and fulfillment! What a great adventure we are on together! God bless you for all that you are doing!
November 30th, Giving Tuesday, kicked off a month of year-end giving.
As we approach the end of 2021, we invite you to remember the Merced Rescue Mission in your year-end giving. December donations make up a big percentage of the gifts we receive each year. Please help us reach our goal of $100,000 for December. We pray that you will have a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Thanks for Giving! 550 Thanksgiving Meals Served
The Merced County Rescue Mission’s Thanksgiving Banquet served 550 people! Thank you to everyone who donated and volunteered to help our friends and neighbors get a delicious meal on Thanksgiving!
Our Christmas Eve Banquet will be held at the same location to serve people who are experiencing homelessness. Join us at 10:30 am to help serve or to visit with people, in the Behavioral Health Dept. parking lot between New Directions and the D Street Shelter (200 E. 15th Street, Merced).
Food donations needed for our Christmas Banquet are hams, #10 cans of corn and green beans, instant mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and desserts.
Christmas Eve Banquet, December 24th, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 200 E. 15th Street, Merced
Some clothing and other items will be available at the event.
This year’s Holiday Food Drive has been going great!! Five elementary schools in Merced have been participating. It is great to see children working together to help people who are hungry and in need of food. The Merced Rescue Mission wants to congratulate and thank every school and student who has played such an important role in helping others! We are also grateful to Valley Christian Church of Atwater and Aloha Floral & Gift Shop in Merced for collecting hundreds of boxes of stuffing for our Thanksgiving Banquet. It is wonderful to see people rallying together to share what they have with people who need help! God bless you All!
The Mission’s Holiday Food Drive is happening now through December 24th. All donations are appreciated! Drop off at 644 W. 20th Street in Merced. Food donated is used for our banquets and meals throughout the year.
To learn more about our food drive or our holiday banquets, please click here.
Holiday Food Drive Update
This year’s Holiday Food Drive has been going great!! Five elementary schools in Merced have been participating. It is great to see children working together to help people who are hungry and in need of food. The Merced Rescue Mission wants to congratulate and thank every school and student who has played such an important role in helping others! We are also grateful to Valley Christian Church of Atwater and Aloha Floral & Gift Shop in Merced for collecting hundreds of boxes of stuffing for our Thanksgiving Banquet. It is wonderful to see people rallying together to share what they have with people who need help! God bless you All!
The Mission’s Holiday Food Drive is happening now through December 24th. All donations are appreciated! Drop off at 644 W. 20th Street in Merced. Food donated is used for our banquets and meals throughout the year.
To learn more about our food drive or our holiday banquets, please click here.
Year-End Giving: Keep our faith-based Hope for Men & Women program going strong!
The end of the year is nearing, and before the end of December, we are praying that donations will significantly increase in order to meet the needs of the Hope for Men and Women programs. The women’s program is expanding, and Misty Rose, our Hope for Women Program Manager, has reached capacity and is needing to place women in our Transition to Hope house for women. Seth Rodriguez, our Hope for Men Program Manager, has a waiting list and is working on filling a second house for our men’s program. Lives are being changed, and God is working miracles in our midst on a daily basis. During COVID, giving has been running behind. Please help us with generous donations that will help change even more lives.
Through your kindness today, we can continue changing lives through Jesus Christ. When you give online, choose "Faith-based program, Hope for Men and Women" as your gift designation. Thank you for your prayers and support. Together we are reducing homelessness in Merced County!
Village of Hope - New Campus Update
Phase one of our new Village of Hope campus is nearing completion. Our contractor, Skip George, of Commercial Construction Company, expects to wrap things up about the end of November. We are hoping to furnish the new facilities during December, and then move people in during January. We are most grateful to all who have responded with contributions toward furnishing the new facilities. We are about 10% of the way towards our goal. If you are able to join us in this effort, we would most appreciate it. For the apartment building for families, we are looking for about 8 more hide-a-bed sofas, new or used but in good condition. We can still use more dishes, pots and pans and silverware, used but in good condition. We do have to purchase metal framed twin beds with bed bug proof mattresses and for this, we need financial contributions. Thank you for all you do to bring the first phase of this new campus into reality.
Phase two of the Village of Hope campus is more than a dream! Through your generous contributions, we have raised over $350,000 towards our faith-based discipleship program facilities. The buildings for Hope for Men and Hope for Women, the building that will provide Hope for women who are pregnant, as well as the classrooms, chapel, and offices will cost upwards of six million dollars. Before we can break ground, we will need to raise three million dollars. These are huge numbers. All of this may seem out of reach, but we have a huge God and all of this belongs to Him. We are so grateful for all you are doing to make this all happen as we help people transform their lives together. To contribute toward building phase two of Village of Hope, please choose Building Hope Campaign as your gift designation when you give online.
For details on how to help us furnish Village of Hope phase one, please click here.
It takes a Village! Thank you for supporting the Merced County Rescue Mission.
On Monday, October 25th, members of the Social Services Department from Mercy Medical Center Merced toured the new Hope Respite Care facility together with staff members from the Merced Rescue Mission staff members. We hope to open in January. This facility will take in men and women experiencing homelessness who are discharged from the hospital.