Dear Friend,

If you care deeply about homeless and hungry people in Orange County, I hope you’ll choose to send a gift this Easter season, when Christ’s resurrection is such a powerful reminder of God’s transforming love. As long as I can depend on friends like you, there will always be hope for desperate people like Brandi and Paul.

Paul grew up in a household where drugs were part of everyday life. And when that’s your idea of “normal” as a child ... well, it comes back to haunt you. Today, at just 28 years old, Paul has already been imprisoned on drug-related charges six times. When he was released the first time, Paul lost his house, his car — everything he had worked for. He moved in with his mom and met Brandi, the property manager at his mom’s building. The two of them fell for each other ... but with Paul’s continued drug problems, it was destined to be a rocky relationship.

Paul was in prison again when Brandi was fired from her job for being pregnant. Soon she was living out of motel rooms. There was so much tension between the couple that when Paul was released again, he didn’t come home immediately. So his mom called his parole officer — and it was back to prison. Again. It seemed like the cycle would never end.

But then Brandi found the Village of Hope. And with a lot of love, commitment and hard work, this young couple is finally getting their lives back on track. “Good things happen when you have a place to call home!” explains Brandi.

What kind of good things? Brandi is working two jobs at the Mission, and Paul is planning to go back to school so that he can support his family. They’re 100 percent dedicated to giving their 2-year-old son a good home. And for the first time in five years, Paul was able to spend the holidays with those he loved. But best of all, in spite of the odds, Brandi and Paul are now married!

Simple acts of kindness — like opening our doors to people in need like Brandi and Paul, and offering them food, shelter and stability — can make all the difference. They can lead to a brand-new life! That’s why I’m praying you’ll send an extra-generous gift to the Orange County Rescue Mission this Easter so we can begin preparing the 81,507 Easter meals people like Brandi and Paul so desperately need. You'll be offering Easter hope to people who find themselves trapped by their circumstances and need help to break free. Your gift can help them take that all-important first step toward a new life this Easter.

Please let me — let them! — hear from you soon. No longer bound to drugs, Paul says today, “I want to make a stronger bond with God. We have to keep the negative influences away. This is the place to do it.” Without your help, we couldn’t have been here for Brandi and Paul — and this transformation might never have happened. That makes you a hero in my book! And it’s why I’m hoping you’ll send another gift in time for Easter ... to remind struggling men, women and children that God offers new life — and second chances! — even when all seems lost.

On behalf of those who will be helped this Easter because of your unselfish generosity, thank you for caring!

     Gratefully,

     
     Jim Palmer, President

P.S. — It’s amazing but true! Something as simple as a hot meal can start someone down the road to a new life. That’s why I’m asking you to return your gift today.