The weather is turning colder and the colors of the season have painted a whole new landscape around us. For most Americans, this season brings about the hopeful anticipation of celebrating with friends and family around a table filled with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, string beans and lots of pie. Some of us come by thankfulness quite easily, and for others it’s a struggle; either way, a thankful heart flourishes most in a state of humility. And I have no doubt that the patrons of the Denver Rescue Mission know that full well.
I spoke to Alexxa Gagner on a cold October morning (the first snow of the season for us), and nothing short of awesome would explain what I learned about the Denver Rescue Mission. As the Director of Public Relations, Alexxa spends her days handling media outreach, responding to all inquiries and questions about the organization, updating their social media and purchasing TV, print and radio spots. In addition, she handles the internal communication for their 160 employees to ensure that they all have the same focus and mission, which is “…changing lives in the name of Christ by meeting people at their physical and spiritual points of need, with the goal of returning them to society as productive, self-sufficient citizens.” But make no mistake about this organization, “…no one is denied services because of gender, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, handicap, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, or marital, parental or military status” (www.denverrescuemission.org).
The Denver Rescue Mission originally started in 1892 as an outreach to prostitutes and was located near 31st and Lawrence Street. Now that they have worked hard to focus on men as well, there are 5 different locations that comprise the Denver Rescue Mission in its entirety, so keeping the engine running efficiently is no easy task. First is the Lawrence Street Shelter, often referred to as “Jesus Saves” due to the cross and writing on the side of the building, which holds 300 beds for a men’s overnight shelter. In addition, this location serves three meals per day and offers food boxes, clothing and hygiene for anyone (not just men). Next, they have The Crossing, a transitional living facility that the Mission bought 6 years ago as an old hotel and refurbished for the purpose of housing men, women and children who are in the process of looking for permanent housing. The 120 men at The Crossing participate in a “New Life” program that can take up to two years. In addition, the Denver Broncos’ Youth Center is housed at The Crossing, and offers a valuable mentor program for today’s youth trying to break the poverty cycle. The third facility is Champa House, which is for women going through the “New Life” program. The women at this 9-apartment facility are mostly single mothers with children under age 12, and they all take turns helping each other out, such as taking turns cooking meals for each other. This facility is also a perfect place for a woman to turn if she has lost her children and longs to improve her life in hopes of recovering them from the foster system. The fourth location, which was acquired in 1988, is the “… former Mercy Farm in Wellington, Colorado. Renamed Harvest Farm, the 209-acre farm grows food crops for the needy, provides long-term rehabilitation for 72 men in the New Life Program and serves as a rural outreach” (www.denverrescuemission.org). Lastly, the Ministry Outreach Center is home to the administrative offices as well as the main warehouse that stores all their goods…including TURKEYS!
Beginning November 1st, the Denver Rescue Mission will kick off the Annual Turkey Drive, and if it’s anything like last year (when they collected 24, 000 turkeys and made national news), they will need all that space in their warehouse for those birds! Their goal this year is 10,000 turkeys…but that doesn’t mean they won’t be inundated with them like last year. You’re probably wondering what in the world they do with that many turkeys…rest assured they all go to good homes. 1,250 of them will be given out on November 22nd with other accoutrements as a “Banquet in a Box”. Volunteers from all over the area come to help wheel the food in a wagon out to the car for these thankful recipients. “This allows people to have one-on-one contact and see a smiling face,” said Alexxa. Several turkeys are given to churches, food banks and non-profits, such as Volunteers of America who will be receiving 1,500 turkeys this year. The remaining turkeys are then distributed amongst the four other Denver Rescue Mission facilities so that they can feed their humble patrons and residents there. The one facility that goes above and beyond feeding those who live there, is the Lawrence Street Shelter, where they host the “Great Thanksgiving Banquet.”
On November 22nd, the smell coming from the Lawrence Street Shelter will be that of at least 100 Turkeys cooking all night long, so that November 23rd, Governor Hickenlooper and Mayor Hancock, along with over 60 volunteers can host 500 grateful people from 11am-1pm for the banquet. With this many people, they cannot feed them all at once, so they will begin the banquet with a small chapel service and bring the people into the dining room in waves. Each patron will have a chance to sit down and be served a traditional Thanksgiving meal right to their table. Everyone will walk away with full bellies, warm blankets, clean socks and ideally a hopeful heart. Many of us have more to be thankful for than we realize, and it isn’t until moments of pain and suffering that our hearts are tenderized toward other people. Don’t wait for your own struggles to enlighten gratitude; reach out now through the Denver Rescue Mission or another charity of your choice and let your compassion far outweigh any tendency you have to judge.
No comments:
Post a Comment