It’s not just a meal — it’s a chance at a new life.

Thomas Kelly was raised in a good Catholic family on the south side of Chicago. When he was 14, his parents divorced and he began bouncing back and forth between his mom in California and his dad in Chicago. It was turbulent. By age 16 he was angry, felt unloved and turned to gang life.

He joined Chicago’s Latin Kings. They were his family now. He got so crazy his dad threw him out of the house. From age 18-22 he was basically homeless — staying at friends’ homes, but often sleeping on the street. He became a pro at living off of other people.

At age 22, Thomas went into the famous Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago to get off the streets for awhile. He began reading the Bible in the mornings — and he found God. He was so excited he wanted to share. He admits he might have been a bit too enthusiastic. His family didn’t appreciate him telling them they were living their lives wrong. They thought being a “Jesus freak” was almost as bad as being a “gang freak.”

Thomas knew he could never go back to the gang lifestyle. But with no job skills, no “normal life” skills, no training in how to be an adult, he was stuck. Moving back to California — away from bad influences, bad friends and bad habits — seemed like a good idea. But how was he going to learn how to make a living? How to lead a good life?

Thanks to caring people like you, Thomas found the answer at the Orange County Rescue Mission. Here he is learning how to take care of himself — to stop living off others. He is learning spiritual discipline and has good role models and counseling. He will soon be starting vocational training to be a plumber. His family is proud of him.

Thomas has a long way to go, but like so many others, his journey at the Mission started with a meal. Thank you.

Henry Schein Cares is the global social responsibility program of Henry Schein, Inc., the largest distributor of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets. The Company furthers the goals of nearly 100 nonprofit organizations across the United States and abroad. Through Henry Schein Cares, eligible organizations receive a broad selection of healthcare products and supplies that have been returned to the Company's inventory.

For the current two-year term, Henry Schein Cares has designated the Orange County Rescue Mission as a recipient of its generosity. Throughout this period, OCRM Healthcare Services will receive quarterly shipments of supplies valued between $5,000 and $25,000 for a total potential annual donation of up to $100,000. The shipments will include blood collection products, exam room supplies, bandages, tapes, gauze, gloves, needles and syringes, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, vitamins, vitamin supplements, and more. These medical supplies will provide critical resources to the clinic, as well as leverage opportunities for related funding from other qualified healthcare funders.

Our medical care facility, Hurtt Family Health Clinic, serves at-risk and homeless single adults and families, providing pediatric healthcare, primary care, and treatment and prevention of chronic disease. Within the at-risk population, we serve sub-populations including: mentally ill and substance abusers, chronic homeless, youth and victims of domestic violence.

The Orange County Rescue Mission would like to express its gratitude for the opportunity to bring much-needed healthcare services to homeless families in Orange County. It's abundantly evident that Henry Schein Cares is more than just a name. They really do!

It’s already very, very busy around here. We’re preparing for a holiday season that is right around the corner. Thousands of hungry, hurting and hopeless men, women and children are counting on us this fall. Many of them would have nothing to eat on Thanksgiving if it wasn’t for your generosity.

Thanksgiving is a hard time for families on the street. When many people in Orange County are gathering with family and loved ones, these folks are just hoping for a safe place to sleep. One good meal for their hungry children. We know because we see them every day. Hundreds of them come here during the holidays, but our pantries are bare after a busy summer. We need to restock in time to serve the biggest meal of the year — THANKSGIVING.

One man (Glen) came to us for help not long ago. When he first walked through our doors, he’d been an addict for 16 years. He was drinking and doing drugs every day. As he puts it: “I self-destructed. I always believed in God, but I NEVER did what I was supposed to.” At the end of his rope and desperate to escape his addiction, he finally listened to God. “I had to change my life,” Glen remembers. “I had to get into the Word of God.”

Six months later, Glen is drug-free for the first time in almost two decades. He’s excited about his future. He’s serving others — not just thinking about his own desires — for the first time in a long time. This year he’ll be doing just that during the holidays, serving meals to hungry families. “I’ll always come back to help here at the Mission,” Glen says. “They saved my life. It takes an awful big heart to do what the Orange County Rescue Mission does.”

So many men like Glen are helped every day because of your generosity. A warm and nutritious Thanksgiving meal is often the first step toward getting help. Escaping addiction. Getting off the streets. Please take a moment to pray about what you can do to help us prepare for the holidays this year. We’re stocking our pantry and want to be ready for EVERYONE who will come to us hungry and in need.

Thank you for your support of the Orange County Rescue Mission. Glen is just one example of the lives you are a part of changing every day of the week. Families broken from weeks spent sleeping on the street are being mended. Single moms who just need a sense of security are finding it through your support. You are so important.

God bless you!