Union Rescue Mission End of Month November 2024 Update
Hello! Mark Hood, here, coming to you with my End of Month update for November 2024. You’re probably wondering what’s going on behind me.
Today, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving with our guests from Angeles House, Hope Gardens, the folks right here at URM, and our friends and neighbors still living on Skid Row. We have so much to celebrate and be thankful for this year. And we are especially grateful for the compassionate support of friends like you that have made this a very special day where men, women and children devasted by homelessness can experience real hope, gratitude and unconditional love.
This Thanksgiving, we’ve prepared over 500 turkeys! We have a tradition of deep-frying a bunch of birds right outside, in front of Union Rescue Mission, on what we call Turkey Fry Day. And as the smell of turkey wafted through Skid Row, our staff and volunteers worked through the night, preparing 3,300 pounds of potatoes, 2,000 pounds of stuffing, 800 pounds of mashed potatoes, and over 512 pies!
Our guests are invited in to join us for a very special Thanksgiving dinner, games, laughter, and most of all, family love—the kind of love that sets Union Rescue Mission apart.
That’s the family love you make possible here. You are a model of God’s compassion for all our precious neighbors experiencing homelessness. Thank you!
This month brought a personal moment of reflection as my past met my present! For 40 years, I worked at PPG Aerospace. It’s a fantastic organization filled with incredible people, and this month, we united to brainstorm ways to collaborate. Together, we’re developing initiatives to enhance our guests’ journey—from their first step into URM to their transition into housing and a fresh start.
For the past seven years, many of you—our faithful donors—have received heartfelt phone calls just before Thanksgiving from some of our guests. These aren’t solicitation calls; they’re expressions of gratitude from those whose lives you’ve helped transform.
Your kindness and generosity have profoundly impacted so many who have walked through our doors. Once a year, our guests have the chance to personally say, “Thank You.” And from the bottom of my heart, thank you for making a difference.
Coming Up –
Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, December 3.
We are very grateful to have a Match Challenge Grant of $800,000 that ends December 31! For this Giving Tuesday, please consider an extra special gift to support our neighbors in need this holiday season.
We’re also excited to bring you the Union Rescue Mission’s first 12 Days of Christmas auction! Our holiday auction has so many unique gift items and once-in-a-lifetime experiences up for bidding, including an African Photo Safari, exclusive Lakers tickets, and world-class shows like Michael Jackson “ONE.”
The auction starts December 1st. Don’t miss your chance to shop with purpose and help 1 child, 1 senior, 1 family—break the cycle of homelessness forever.
On to our need Volunteers!
Our upcoming Christmas Store on December 14 is in need of helpers. For 34 years, Union Rescue Mission’s Christmas Store has brought holiday joy into the lives of children and families experiencing homelessness. We’d love to have you join us! For information on how to volunteer, please reach out to [email protected].
And by the way, I want to give a big Thank You to our volunteers who have made today possible. In fact, we really can’t do much without our volunteers. We are grateful to have the most faithful supporters in the world! We love you, appreciate you, and pray for you.
As I’m nearing the end of my fourth month serving at Union Rescue Mission, I can’t think of a better way to mark this journey than by breaking bread with our guests and with our friends and neighbors on beautiful Skid Row.
Breaking bread—sharing a meal—is a powerful act. It's hard to remain strangers, let alone enemies, when you've shared food together. It’s a moment of connection, of fellowship, and even communion.
Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)
These words remind me of the deep spiritual nourishment we all seek, and how, through simple acts of kindness, we can light the way home for so many in our community—1 life at a time.
And by the way, when I say beautiful Skid Row, I mean that. In the short time I’ve been at Union Rescue Mission, I have witnessed the goodness of our Lord with new eyes. He transforms lives. Every day at URM, I see men, women, and children feeling safe, seen, and heard. Only the Lord can bring that kind of beauty to a place like Skid Row.
May God bless you and keep you.
Mark Hood
CEO Union Rescue Mission