OCRM Provides Food and Safety, Expands Services

This past weekend we learned that law enforcement had arrested the person they believe is responsible for the stabbing deaths of four homeless men. We are extremely grateful for their collaborative efforts and the amount of time and resources they put into this investigation. Not only was the Homeless community stunned with the news that a serial killer was targeting them – the news spread around the world. Everyone we talked to asked the same thing: “What can we do to help?” So the Orange County Rescue Mission sprang into action.

Since the news of these brutal crimes, the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) has been distributing safety kits to the homeless community at the Santa Ana Civic Center (see above) in concurrence with its Thursday evening food distribution through the Chili Van Mobile Food Ministry. Now, OCRM has expanded that outreach, in partnership with Safe Harbor Ministries, to provide local services to the homeless in South Orange County. The Chili Van, along with Care Coordinator Staff, will serve the Dana Point area every Tuesday evening, to provide hot meals, along with referrals and resources, to the homeless in the area. This expanded outreach would not have been possible without the generous support of Sunwest Bank, The Disneyland Resort, and faithful Rescue Mission donors.

These new services will be available every Tuesday, beginning January 17, 2012, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot across from St. Felipe de Jesus Catholic Church, located at 26010 Domingo Ave. in Capistrano Beach. This is a temporary location. Please visit our Web site for the current location.

“The South Orange County area’s homeless population, especially within the Dana Point region, is currently severely underserved,” explained Jim Palmer, President of the Orange County Rescue Mission. “We partnered with Safe Harbor Ministries in an effort to reach those individuals who are hungry and in need of services in an area where services are often scarce. We are hoping this will ... bring this need to light within a community that is widely unaware of the issue.”

The Orange County Rescue Mission will provide over 100 meals, hygiene kits and emergency homeless street kits every Tuesday. The organization plans to add its Mobile Medical Clinic and Mobile Legal Clinic to the list of services provided each week, and is seeking volunteers and donations in order to enable the Rescue Mission to include these services to the South Orange County program.

Individuals or businesses interested in volunteering, or providing monetary donations to help expand services in South County, and throughout Orange County, can donate through the Orange County Rescue Mission’s website, or call (714) 247-4300.

Because of You...

The Orange County Rescue Mission is providing real help to men, women and children who are trapped in the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

The economic downturn is changing the face of homelessness in our community. Families are raising their children in motel rooms as their search for work stretches from months into years. Because of this, the cycle of poverty and homelessness is more difficult to break than ever. In the face of such hopelessness, what can we do? Working together, we have the power to transform families and individuals in Orange County.

Working Together, Changing Lives

Chili Van
One evening a week, 14 volunteers take our donated Chili Van to Santa Ana and provide chili, bread and hot coffee (donated by Market Broiler in Huntington Beach) to 300 homeless and hungry people. They give out all of it. Sometimes, when there is extra, a homeless man or woman will take an extra serving for later. Glen is a senior citizen who is homeless and living on the streets of Santa Ana. He only eats one meal a day. Coffee for breakfast. No lunch. Just dinner. “I’m not in the habit of eating more than one meal a day,” he says. He comes every week to the parking lot where the Chili Van sets up dinner — mostly just to have conversations with the volunteers who serve.

HURTT Family Health Clinic
The HURTT Family Health Clinic is a primary care clinic that helps homeless and underserved families get the care they need. They help patients manage treatment for diabetes and other chronic illnesses. They also give moms, and moms-to-be, valuable services such as well-baby care and well-child checkups. Lori was homeless and struggled with drug abuse. But she also had an underlying, life-threatening thyroid problem. When she came to our HURTT Family Health Clinic, she found out that her thyroid was off the charts. If she hadn’t come in when she did, she may not have had much longer to live. Incredibly, after three months of treatment through the clinic, her energy was renewed and she found she didn’t want or need drugs anymore. Stabilization of her health allowed her to regain custody of her little daughter Sally.

Mobile Medical
Local physicians partner with the Mission to take medical care directly to men and women on the streets who have difficulty finding or affording it. The Mobile Medical unit often accompanies the Chili Van and provides homeless men and women with compassionate care at the same place where they can get a good, hot meal and community referrals through an onsite Care Coordinator.

House of Hope
Our beautiful House of Hope facility was specifically designed to help and house homeless women and their children who are in the second phase of their program. Residents are either in the job search phase or are employed. They benefit from key services such as job training, parenting training, life-skills training, anger-management training and more. Most importantly, we try to give them a sense of hope for their future.

Village of Hope
The Village of Hope provides transitional and emergency housing for up to 192 homeless men, women and children. Residents have access to counseling services, job training, medical and dental care and more. It’s one of the only shelters in the community where families can stay together. Daniel and Jacqueline had been headed down a destructive path of drug abuse and felonies. Each of them had been in jail at some point in their relationship. But when they hit bottom and tried hard to change their lifestyle, they had a hard time getting work. And their only option for shelter was to live with relatives who were drug addicts. With a new baby, they turned to the Mission for help staying on the right path, and are now successfully six months into their program.

Sunwest Bank Success Center
Vocational training and career counseling are provided through the generous partnership of Sunwest Bank. This job center offers residents the opportunity to complete high school, pursue further education through partner community colleges and prepare for interviews with local businesses. In the last 6 months, 35 residents have found jobs.

Through partnerships with friends like you, the Orange County Rescue Mission is providing real help to men, women and children in our community.

Thank you!

How You Can Get Involved in 2012

Offering your time and skills is one great way to care for the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County. Here are two ways you can get involved today:

Volunteer Staff
Take on a regular volunteer position and you’ll have an opportunity to build relationships with staff and residents. The firsthand experience of seeing lives change will be life changing for you as well. Needs are:

• Licensed Medical Professionals
• Chefs
• Hair Stylists
• Reception Desk (lunch)
• Childcare (evenings)

Monthly Workday Volunteer
Volunteer for a monthly workday, event or a gift-in-kind drive at one of our facilities in Orange County. This is a great activity for a group, or for someone who can only come once in a while. Opportunities are:

• Sponsor a Monthly Birthday Party
• Host a GIK Drive (food or urgent needs)
• Build Hygiene Kits
• Holiday Events

If you are interested in volunteering, check out our Volunteer Opportunities page and follow the instructions. Email our Volunteer Manager or call (714) 247-4326 if you have any questions. Thank you!

Volunteer Spotlight: Bob Bothereau

About four months ago, in September, Bob Bothereau found himself sitting next to two employees of the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) at a dinner meeting attended by many business and Christian ministry leaders within the Orange County area.  He came away with a strong understanding of the wonderful impact that OCRM was having on individuals’ lives and on the community, and agreed to commit some of his time and talents to this purpose. 

Having been in leadership positions throughout his career, Bob was certain that he could share some helpful guidance and insights from the perspective of a hiring manager. Naturally, he volunteered to become a member of the career counseling team in the Village of Hope's Sunwest Bank Success Center, helping to prepare Village of Hope students to successfully gain outside employment.  “I view this as an important area in which to serve,” says Bob, ”as effective career counseling efforts can play a key role in a student’s successful move toward self-sufficiency. I have also been on the candidate’s side of the job search equation,” he recalls, ”and can relate to the challenge of this process and the need for the right tools, preparation, perseverance, and trust in God’s plan.”

Bob assists students with job search strategies, résume preparation, navigation of online search sites and application processes, and interviewing and follow-up skills.  He also reaches out to local staffing companies and employers to explore options that may result in win-win partnerships. And Bob's efforts are paying off. Students are achieving greater self-sufficiency as they develop and utilize skills that enhance their ability to secure and retain employment.

“Hopefully,” Bob says, “they are also experiencing encouragement in their walk with Christ, leaving the old behind, trusting Him to work in all areas of their lives, and learning to honor Him in all life choices and decision making.” His desire is that the students understand they are part of a larger community of people who believe in them and are willing to personally invest in their success.

Asked if he would recommend volunteering at OCRM to others, Bob declared, “It is easy to underestimate the gifts you’ve been given that can make a wonderful impact on people’s lives and on our community.  If you believe in OCRM’s mission and feel the tug on your heart, don’t overthink it – just say, ‘Yes!’”

White Christmas at the Village of Hope

It was fun for all ages as the Orange County Rescue Mission's (OCRM) Village of Hope in Tustin received ten tons of snow (courtesy of kind donors) on Friday morning, December 30.

"For this group of people, most of them have never seen snow before and the kids have never touched it or eaten it and it is quite the experience for them," said Jim Palmer, OCRM president.

Children rode their saucers down the gentle slope of snow piled between bales of hay as snowballs flew through the air in all directions. Due to the generosity of some donors, this was the second year the Village of Hope had received snow, the first year being in 2009.

What You Can Do To Help

Organize Food Drives
Community food drives are the backbone of our food collection efforts. To help you get started, Food Drive Kits are available to assist you in planning, coordination and publicity. These kits are available from our website or we can mail them to you. Either way, they will be of tremendous benefit in our effort to collect the 7 tons of food that we distribute each month.

Volunteer
Becoming a Mission volunteer is easier than ever. Simply visit our website and click on VOLUNTEER to see what opportunities are available. Then, fill out our online application and liability waiver. In no time, you’ll be using your gifts and talents to benefit others right in your community.

Tell Others
One of the most powerful ways we can help the homeless is by telling others about how and why you are involved in helping the Orange County Rescue Mission. If they catch a glimpse of your vision (and passion!) for helping the homeless, they will want to get involved, too.

Pray
No matter how busy we are or what resources we have, there’s something all believers can do, and that’s pray. Pray for homeless and hungry men, women and children in our community. That they would not lose hope. That somehow, they would find their way to the Mission. And that we would have the resources we need to help them, whether they need a food box or housing for a year.

The Power of Partnership    (a message from Jim Palmer, President)

Unique partnerships are the backbone of the Orange County Rescue Mission. Corporate partners, volunteers and donors like you come alongside us to bring hope to our neighbors in crisis. The programs we offer would not be possible without the generosity of donors and volunteers.

Local colleges and universities, for example, have partnered with us to provide legal clinics, after-school tutoring, mental health services, optical services and counseling for the homeless in our community. Partnerships like these increase the value of your gift to provide meals and care — not only are you meeting basic needs, but you are giving them the access to these lifechanging services.

As I look toward the coming year, I’m excited about the possibilities that are becoming a reality. Times are tough. But working together, we are a powerful force for change. Please join with us in these early days of 2012 to reach the underserved in our community and end homelessness.

Thank you for your partnership.

    
Jim Palmer, President

Adopt-A-Room at the Village of Hope

Community groups, churches, families, individuals, and businesses — here’s a great way to help homeless families stay together while they rebuild their lives and become self-supportive:

Adopt a room at the Village of Hope! The Village of Hope is an innovative, faith-based, transitional facility that will keep homeless dads, moms, and kids together, while giving parents 12 to 24 months to work on job training and life skills. To make this dream a reality, we have completed the transformation of two existing military dormitories into 128 rooms for homeless families. In order to provide these rooms for families, we need your help! Your group will be part of creating modern-day miracles in the lives of hurting families in Orange County.

Please e-mail Donna Naccachian or call (714) 247-4323 for more info. You can also check our Web site for volunteer opportunities...

Support OCRM at Ralphs

Ralphs Community Contributions Program

Sign up for Ralphs Community Contributions Program and earn money for the Orange County Rescue Mission while you shop. Just click here, designate the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary and use your Ralphs Rewards card at checkout when you shop. A percentage of all your purchases will be donated to assist us in bringing hope to the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County.

TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE!! If just 60 people sign up and use their Ralphs Rewards card, and the average quarterly shopping percentage brings in a modest $3.15 each, then those 60 people could make $756.00 a year JUST BY DOING OUR OWN GROCERY SHOPPING! Of course, the more you purchase, the more you earn for OCRM. In the past quarter, 18 shoppers contributed $109.93.

Click here to sign up online. You may also sign up by printing this document and taking it into any Ralphs store.

Thank you!

Our Pledge to You

The Orange County Rescue Mission is committed to helping you assist the poor in the most cost-effective way possible. That’s why we take extra care to use every penny efficiently. As part of that effort, we are governed by an independent Board of Directors. We are also a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Upon your request, we will send you an audited financial statement prepared by an independent certified public accountant.

At the Orange County Rescue Mission, a full 81 cents of every dollar given goes directly to help the homeless. If gifts received are above a specific need, they will be used for Mission programs where the need is greatest. Your support is greatly appreciated. With your help, the Orange County Rescue Mission works to make our community a better place for everyone to live.

Our Immediate Needs

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