Feeding in February at the Rockford Rescue Mission
On a sunny Valentine’s Day morning, nine of our employees made their way over to the Rockford Rescue Mission to serve lunch to their community. It was a wonderful day full of learning and serving a diverse group of people who are searching for the next chapter in their journeys. We met Sabuj Sarker, their Volunteer Supervisor at the front office and he introduced us to the Mission and all that we could expect to do from wrapping silverware in napkins, serving soup, brats and salad, and cleaning up our workspace. Sabuj also introduced us to their Chief Development Officer, Ted Tomita who gave us even more insight into the Mission.
Rockford Rescue Mission is an outreach that provides help & hope for hurting people in the Rock River Valley. Their services are designed to serve physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational needs by empowering people to move from despair and hopelessness to whole-person life change. These services are made possible by God’s continuing grace and generous supporters in the community! They offer so many resources to these people such as: case management, medical, dental & chiropractic care, Christ-centered guidance, life-skills classes, spiritual mentoring & guidance, educational assessment & support, vocational training, and aftercare.
After our shift in the kitchen, Sabuj gave us a tour of all the programs that the mission offers. We got to see the impressive Hope Clinic that provides free medical, dental & chiropractic services provided for Mission guests, residents, as well as the uninsured or underinsured in our community. They even got to show off their new diabetes resource room! We then got to see the guest entrance used for the community to come get a meal and the men’s shelter quarter area. On the other side of the building we then got to see where the ladies and the children get to stay and how they take such extra care in welcoming these people into their home. We then got to take a peak at the giving closets stocked full with clothes and toys that can be given to the kids, various classrooms where they hold their teaching sessions, and the Works! Center that provides educational, employment, and testing resources to sustain long-term success. To say we were impressed is an understatement. The overwhelming warm presence met by each individual who helps make this outreach possible could not be underplayed.
It's a tremendous blessing for our community that the Rockford Rescue Mission exists and as we celebrate our 8th year in business this month, we are donating $5,986 to support their endeavor to see that no one in the community goes hungry. How did we get that exact dollar amount to donate? At $2.05 a meal we multiplied that by 365 days in the year, and then by 8 hungry members in the community giving us a year of meals for 8 people! Rockford Rescue Mission, thank you from the bottom our hearts for all that you have and continue to do each and every day for your community. We are proud to partner with you!
Here are some wonderful ways to get involved with Rockford Rescue Mission!
