Dee’s life fell apart quickly and unexpectedly.
Life was good for many years. The 60-year-old had a great childhood, worked hard all her life, and went to church. She even found the love of her life at church.
“He was a gospel singer with a beautiful voice,” she says about the love of her life. Dee remembers that it didn’t take long to fall in love. They had a great life together! Then came the day when he was diagnosed with cancer.
She stayed by his side through it all, and even though it was a painful death, he never lost his faith in Jesus. “He kept Jesus in his heart,” Dee says. “Jesus is walking with him and I know he is at peace now.”
While Dee says she misses him every day, she tried to continue on with her life. She found a place to live in a basement apartment in Detroit. But on top of her grief, she was dealt another devastating blow.
“Heavy rains caused flooding and I lost it all,” Dee shared. Everything was ruined.” Clothes and shoes. Furniture and blankets. Even treasured family photos — all gone!
Even worse, Dee lost her home. The landlord kicked her out, but did not refund any of her rent. In that one day, Dee became homeless. It all happened so quickly that she was in shock. “I never thought I’d be homeless,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Thankfully, Dee heard about the Mission and sought help. Because of the generosity of friends like you, she was met with open arms. She was provided sheets, a blanket, pillow, clothes, meals, and a safe place to stay.
“It felt good to be safe! People cared about me,” she shares. “I have no idea what I would have done without them. Now, the Mission is helping me find another place of my own.”
Thank you for caring about struggling people like Dee. When tragedy leaves someone with nothing, your compassion gives them hope.
A MESSAGE
FROM THE CEO
Chad Audi, PhD
President and CEO
Dear Friend,
As we look ahead to fall, it’s not too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving and counting our blessings.
Your kindness and generosity saved lives this year. You provided meals, safe shelter, clean clothes, and transforming programs for neighbors who faced incredible challenges. That’s why you are at the top of our list and we thank you!
I’m also thankful that you continue to care about our struggling neighbors because they still desperately need your help. As you know, costs for basic necessities have risen more in the last year than in the previous 40! More and more people are without food. Many are finding themselves homeless for the first time.
Frankly, the shortages and escalating costs are also impacting our abilities to help them. (Learn more about rising food costs this fall and Thanksgiving in the article also on this page.) Of course, we will never turn anyone away. This is what we live . . . this is what we breathe . . . this is what we do. But we really need your help to meet the incredible needs.
Your support will help desperate families this fall and give them a reason to give thanks.
One last note . . . another reason I’m grateful this fall is that our Thanksgiving Community Dinner is back! The pandemic halted this big event for the past three years. This year we’ll host about 800 people for turkey, dressing, and all the fixings. Your support today will help make all of this possible!
Rebuilding Detroit, one life at a time,
Chad Audi, PhD
President and CEO
ADOPT A FAMILY!
Share Christmas joy with a family in need.
Bright lights, festive paper, gifts shared in love! Every child deserves to experience the wonder of Christmas. But for many families having a Merry Christmas won’t be possible without your help.
When parents struggle just to pay rent and put food on the table, buying presents is a luxury they can’t afford. Through the Adopt a Family program, you can ensure that every child in our community has the chance to open a gift this Christmas!
When you adopt a family, you’ll help provide items from their wish list like toys, warm clothes, books, and more. You’ll also help loving parents share the joy and hope of the Christmas season and ensure their little ones will have a gift to open in celebration of Christmas!
You’ll help place big grins on children’s faces and warm the hearts of parents with your action today. Sign up before October 15 to make this a very special Christmas for families who are struggling to survive! To sign up, contact Kisha Woods at [email protected].
You’ll help provide 4,000 meals a day this Thanksgiving season!
Fall is here and Thanksgiving is right around the corner! During this busy season, friends like you will help provide more than 4,000 meals a day to those experiencing hunger and homelessness in our community.
However, this can be a challenging mission with ever increasing grocery prices. A report from USDA’s Food Prices Outlook reveals that all food prices are up and increases are the highest in decades as grocery prices rose nearly 9 percent this year.
This national food cost spike is impacting all of us at the grocery store as we shop to feed our families. And with 4,000 meals to provide daily here at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, it has an enormous impact on our budget as well. To meet the need for everyone who comes to our doors, “we have had to make the difficult decision to raise the cost per meal from $1.95 to $2.37,” Mission President Dr. Chad Audi says. “This is the first time in more than a decade that we’ve adjusted the cost, but we just cannot ignore current conditions. We are trusting God to provide through our supporters so that we can continue to meet the needs of more than 2,200 people who turn to the Mission for help every day.”
As you may know, it takes just three days to empty every shelf in our pantry. So, it will be a challenge to keep our pantry filled and meet the needs of those who come to us for a meal and so much more. That’s why we want you to know of the increased cost of meals going forward. And thanks to your prayers and support, we can continue the good work of reaching people experiencing hunger and homelessness in our community together this season.
Volunteer loves sharing laughter and fun!
Julie Kroflich loves a good party! And she’s never had a bad one at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.
For more than 20 years, Julie has volunteered in many capacities at the Mission, but some of her favorite memories are of parties she helped coordinate.
“The Christmas party was quite a throw down. It was awesome,” she recalls. “We made Christmas tree decorations—it’s amazing what glitter, glue, and construction paper can do. Santa Claus came. The staff, volunteers, residents, and kids danced for about an hour. We had a great big lunch and set up the Christmas store.”
Julie explained that the Christmas store allowed parents to shop for their children with gifts donated from friends like you.
“The Christmas program was the most fun,” Julie confided. However, the most impactful was the Adopt-A-Mom project.” During this event centered around Mother’s Day, moms and kids make a craft, take photos, and best of all, the kids pick out a Mother’s Day gift they can give to their mom in the “store.”
The Back-to-School Game Show is another fun event where students receive backpacks filled with school supplies, a gift certificate for shoes, and of course games and prizes!
Today, Julie, along with volunteers and supporters like you, adopt rooms at the Mission. She explains, “We clean, paint, assemble new furniture, get new bedding, and make it pretty. The ladies are always so grateful and the kids give you a big hug.”
Julie feels blessed to volunteer at the Mission. “I know I’m not fixing homelessness by throwing a party or decorating a room. But if I can make their Christmas a little happier, that’s awesome. To help give someone a welcoming room, where they feel safe to begin rebuilding their lives, it’s all worth it.”
BOARD MEMBERS
Randall Pentiuk
Chairman
Teola Hunter
Elizabeth (Bettye) Misuraca
Eric Mitchell
Nina Simone Caudle
Secretary
Martha Scott
Frank Taylor
Robert (Bob) Vallance
OUR MISSION
Sharing the love of Jesus Christ
and the message of hope in His gospel.
