The IMPACT of a Simple Meal
This is an interesting time in our nation. Unfortunately, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Tucson has significantly increased. So how can we help? What can we do about this growing concern in our community?
For us, it begins with giving people hope for a better tomorrow, and most of the time, that begins with a meal.
Providing a meal for someone in need can sometimes feel small because it’s so basic, but it can have a tremendous impact on someone who has spent days, months, or maybe years living on the streets. It is a gesture of love.
But it is also an invitation to receive. And like the invitation Jesus gives us to receive His grace and acceptance – it comes without any strings attached. Here at GRM, you will find no judgment. We welcome all – never discriminating based on religion, gender, race, etc. Our staff and volunteers are compassionate, always willing to listen, and ready to help.
We establish authentic relationships with our guests, allowing us to offer the help and resources to heal the root issues that caused them to be homeless in the first place and then set them on a path of success.
Not everyone’s journey out of homelessness is a straight line. For 70 years, we have provided warm meals to the homeless, following the model of Jesus, who cared for both the body and the soul – healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and caring for those with a broken spirit. Easter Blessings to Go is a time for us to welcome thousands to receive a practical gift with no strings attached. It is an example of grace – and our faith in action – and is a crucial part of our mission.
I invite you into that mission by asking you to give generously. Just $3.02 provides a meal to a person in need. And our need this year is profound. Our community is in crisis, with more unsheltered homeless than ever before, but this is an opportunity for us to give hope in their greatest time of need.
Legacy Testimony: Ken
And, like so many others, when Ken first sat down as a guest at our table nearly 20 years ago, it set him on a path that forever changed his life.
Ken came to Gospel Rescue Mission looking for a holiday meal. He was living on the street and working as a day laborer to fuel his addiction to drugs and alcohol. A co-worker invited him to come for a meal during one of our banquets. Ken was initially reluctant but decided it couldn’t hurt to get a warm meal from a shelter.
The time he spent at Gospel Rescue Mission receiving that meal and interacting with our staff and volunteers left a mark on his life. He never forgot the kindness and compassion he felt from the people he met. And two years later, after 21 years of being in and out of prison, he was finally ready to get clean. His case managers were working on getting him into a halfway home, but he had been through enough programs to know that would only end in failure. Ken was desperate – he knew the unending pattern of addiction and incarceration had to stop – so he wrote a letter to the one place that had treated him with love and compassion, Gospel Rescue Mission.
“I think of how I came out of that. It’s the grace of God.”
The day he was released, he went straight to Gospel Rescue Mission and into the Workforce Program. Surrounded by people who cared about his sobriety and well-being, Ken had the structure and accountability he needed to succeed. Within a few weeks of entering the program, he got a job. And 17 years later, he still works at that same job!
“GRM gave me stability and showed me I have the ability within myself to be stable.”
Ken’s story is remarkable because he came just looking for a warm meal. He wasn’t ready to receive more help at that time, but we were here for him when he was ready. When he entered our program, he found everything he needed to transform, to live truly whole.
“Gospel Rescue Mission taught me to look ahead and not to look back. Jesus Christ died for our sins and failures. They taught me to be independent yet to be able to rely on friends, family, and our Savior. You are not alone.”
Thanking God for you,
Lisa Chastain
Chief Executive Officer