Christmas Toy Give Away!

On Christmas Day each year, the Rescue Mission gives gifts to children who are in need. Some of these children belong to families who are guests at the mission. By word of mouth, family's have come each year. We usually give gifts to 200-300 children. Last year, we moved the Toy Give Away to the Church on the Rock just because we would have more room and people who needed gifts would not have to wait outside. We also contacted the social workers in the schools so that the neediest families would know about the Toy Give Away. Linda Morgan has spearheaded the effort to help these families. She has done an incredible work of organizing the toy give away. Each child is able to pick out gifts that are age appropriate and gifts have a monetary value of $15. This has meant so much to families who otherwise would not have Christmas presents. If you would like to donate money towards purchasing a gift or purchase a gift for a child, please contact Linda Morgan. She will be able to give you some suggestions of what is needed. Also, if you would like to help with the Toy Give Away, contact Linda as well. Please call her at 522-0203.

Update

First of all, I would like to apologize for the website not working. I had some problems with it the week before Thanksgiving and haven't been able to get it right yet. Thankfully, we have someone who is working on making a better website that will be professional. Hopefully, it will be working in the near future.

I hope that everyone had a very wonderful Thanksgiving. There is so much to be thankful for. I am amazed at how God has blessed us and given us the ability to provide hot delicious meals and serve others. Thank you for making it possible. The Thanksgiving meal was absolutly delcious...or "irrestistably delcious", as one woman stated who was delivered a meal by two volunteers. Especially good as every year was the turkey and the mash potatoes made from scratch. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and gave of their time or provisions to make Thanksgiving special. One woman I sat next to and shared Thanksgiving with said that she has no family but was glad to have had a Thanksgiving and felt like she was with family because everyone was so kind. Thank you!

If you would like to volunteer for Christmas, we have our annual Christmas toy give away coming up on Christmas as well as delivering and serving meals here at the mission. This is a time of great joy. Please e-mail LuAnne at lcgrm@qwestoffice.net if you would like to help. The hours would be in the morning and early afternoon on December 25th.

Also, if you have any questions regarding the rescue mission, thrift store, or clothing room, please feel free to e-mail me at lcgrm@qwestoffice.net or call me at 575-644-9563 (cell). Thanks!
LuAnne Burke, Admin. Asst.

More than a blanket...although those are also needed!

The weather is changing, and one thing is for sure. For many people who are homeless or living with little resources, the winter can be uncomfortable or painful. Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission is in need of blankets, coats (all sizes for all ages), gloves and hats. The mission gives out blankets and coats at the shelter to people who choose to "camp out" and at the Clothing Room, 1416 S. Solano for families and individuals in need. If you would like to donate a warm item, please drop it by the mission 1050 W. Amador anytime or the Clothing Room, 1416 S. Solano on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 9-11 AM or Wednesday from 3-5. You can also provide warmth to people who are homeless by donating and shopping at the Gospel Thrift Store, 1420 S. Solano! It's a great little store where you can find so many things you didn't know could exist and great clothing at a great price. All profit from sales at the Thrift Store go to pay the Rescue Mission shelter's utilities. So, when you donate and shop there, you are actually helping someone who is homeless stay warm and eat hot meals! :)

Another blessing - there is more than a blanket available for anyone who finds themselves in need of a place to stay. The Rescue Mission, open 24 hours a day every day, is a place anyone can find a warm bed, a hot shower and a delicious meal.

What is it like to be homeless?

A friend who had been homeless off and on over 20 years shared with me what it was like to be homeless. She said I could share this with you. She is homeless no more, thanks to help from the Rescue Mission and from Social Security. One thing that is common is that many people who become homeless never thought it would happen to them or that it would take so long to get out of their situation.

• What are the causes of homelessness? They are many and varied. Homelessness itself is going through a change of definition with the federal government. It includes not only people who are sleeping under a tree, on a sidewalk, or under a bridge; it also includes persons who are sleeping in someone else's house..."sofa surfing", sleeping in hotels, shelters, and cars. Many people go through a time of homelessness. The last statistic from the previous census showed that most people are homeless for only 2 weeks to 2 months. The difference in the length of time is the support system around them. Some people are lucky to have friends or family members that can help them, or social services that can get them into housing or help them find work. A lot of it also depends on the cost of housing or renting an apartment in the area they live. People with substance abuse difficulties and mental illness may find themselves homeless longer. Poverty is also a link to homelessness. Many of us don't even realize that we too could be homeless. These are recent disturbing statistics for the United States and more specifically our own home, New Mexico. (I'll save the disturbing New Mexico stats for another time. Too much bad news in an election year. :( )
• 77 % of Americans live paycheck to paycheck...16 % more than in 2009*reported 9-1-10. That means that almost 8 out of 10 people who have only dollars in their bank account before payday and almost maxed out credit cards could soon become homeless. Sickeness, losing a job, or any of life's crazy unforeseen circumstances could smack them and they would have little or no money to pay rent or house payments. If they did not have someone to lend or give them money or were not able to find another job quickly, eviction or foreclosure could follow. In a few months, they could become homeless.
• The Good News is that there is someplace anyone can go. If someone needs meals, clothing, someone to comfort them, a soft bed, a warm cup of coffee, and a hot shower, they can find help at Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission, 1050 W. Amador. The Rescue Mission serves breakfast, lunch, and supper EVERY DAY! All of this is provided for free because of people who care in our community. Last year 1,303 indivduals (men, women and children) found emergency overnight shelter at Las Cruces Gospel Rescue Mission.
• The Community of Hope across the street from the Rescue Mission at 999 W. Amador is like a mall for people who find themselves in need of help. The Community of Hope itself has staff that can help homeless families and individuals get fast housing (part of the Federal Stimulus) and exit homelessness much faster. They also can link people to other resources in town and help homeless individuals get their birth certificates so they can eventually get identification. Without ID, it is even difficult to check into a hotel.

Other services that are helpful not only to people who find themselves homeless, but people who are having difficulty making ends meet are the following nearby in the "mall of hope".

• St. Luke's Medical Clinic: for anyone who has medical needs but does not have money to see a doctor or buy medicine and does not have any medicaid or medical insurance.
• Casa de Pedegrinos: a foodbank for families and individuals. People in need who are not camping out homeless can come once a month. (Their supply depends on the generosity of donors.)
• El Caldito Soup Kitchen: a wonderful hot meal of soup, salad, desert & something delicious served Monday-Friday from 11:30-1:00 and sack lunches at noon on Saturdays.
• Jardin de los Niños: a daycare for children whose parents are homeless or living in hotels.

Besides offering the only emergency shelter in town for families, and individuals (women and men) for whomever needs help in whatever circumstance, the Gospel Rescue Mission also has a drug recovery program for men who are wanting to leave this painful way of life that has left them devastated. In addition, a volunteer program for chronically homeless individuals who need time and help to heal physically and emotionally from the years of living on the street and want to have new job skills and change.

The Rescue Mission also has a Clothing Room on 1416 S. Solano where people who need clothing can come once every 30 days. They are open Mon. Wed. and Fri. 9-11 AM and on Wed. from 3-5 PM for school age kids. It's like a mini "Dillards."

Need help? call the Rescue Mission at (575) 523-7727 or e-mail lcgrm@qwestoffice.net Want to help? Call the Rescue Mission at (575)523-7727 or LuAnne at (575) 644-9563. Thanks!!

ALL call for ART!

This coming Friday, July 23rd, Dr. Brian Gilbert, a local dentist is hosting an Art Silent Auction to benefit the Rescue Mission. Dr. Gilbert has invited any artist who is wishing to assist the homeless to also donate art for this event. If you are an artist who would like to help or have a piece of art that you would like to donate, please call LuAnne Burke at (575)644-9563 or E-mail her at lu@nmsu.edu
This is a short notice, but an excellent opportunity!


If you would like to preview Dr. Gilbert's Art that is blessing the community with, please click on this link: http://www.brightstardental.blogspot.com/

It's amazing what we can do to make our community brighter and help others who are going through a difficult time! Thank you to everyone who makes the day brighter for people at the end of the road.

Gospel Rescue Mission

Amanda Crowe, a Mass media and Journalism student from New Mexico State University created this video and wrote an article about her visit to the Gospel Rescue Mission. She interviewed guests. Click on the following link to go to her story published in The Merge, an online magazine. http://www.nmsumerge.com/

Kids Dig Helping Kids!

An amazing thing happened on Saturday January 14th! Children, teenagers, group leaders and some parents were at the mission to dig in and help. A group of kids from Caravan, (some what like girl and boy scouts) from Church of the Nazarene came to help. They picked up trash outside and helped fold some bed sheets.

The other group was a kids organized group that wanted to make a difference in the playground. The playground, a grass lot with a gabzebo, lacks some of the things that they think will spur kids imagination. As Colson, age 15, one of the group visionaries put it, "We wanted to help give them something to do...to play and interact with other kids and possibly make friends and enhance their imagination and creativity." Great thanks to all of you who came to make the world a better place!