The Family Life Ministry here at Portland Rescue Mission seeks to bring mothers and their children into a healthy, nurturing, self-sustaining relationship. Women learn to be good, healthy moms while their kids learn foundational life skills. READ MORE: Family Life Ministry Susanna Heger is the program’s manager – watch her video below to learn more…
Read MoreEvery Tuesday night, homeless women receive tender care — foot massages, snacks and conversation — from a team of loving staff and volunteers at our Burnside Shelter. Jan, a member of our staff, shares about this week’s outreach: As we drove to outreach last night, we all felt tired. This is not unusual. It’s the…
Read MoreStanding in line at the store, one of our Outreach Staff thought he recognized the girl at the checkout counter. He couldn’t quite place how he knew her, but the cashier definitely remembered him. “You look familiar,” he said. And the she began to tell her story… Not long ago, she had been homeless…
Read MoreFrom Darsey, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission: I walked out the front door of Burnside Shelter to a clear, bright evening. I volunteer with some women to wash the feet of homeless women on Monday nights at Liberation Street Church, just across the street from the Mission, and we were heading over. As…
Read MoreDarsey, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission, went to see a play recently. Outside the theatre, she met a homeless man… The guy beside me wears a dingy red scarf and some finger-less mittens, and he fidgets with his cigarette. And he’s muttering. He’s muttering about how all the people walking past aren’t paying…
Read MoreLast Saturday, August 14th, we hosted another of our Women’s Outreach events. Several times a year, we transform our Burnside Shelter into a women-only facility for a few hours. Homeless women, whose lives are often filled with fear and abuse, are welcomed into a safe haven where they are fed and cared for. Thanks to…
Read MoreFrom Holly, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission: Recently, Portland Adventist Academy students and faculty spread throughout the city doing good works for various charities. We were blessed to have a group of 20 come to the Burnside Men’s Shelter, and 10 to Shepherd’s Door, our recovery ministry for women and children. The Shepherd’s…
Read MoreFrom Jan, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission: We now have a short history with Audrey. She has been a regular visitor at our Monday evening outreach meetings for homeless women. We always know she’s coming as we hear her chattering voice before we see her. Though Audry is young, she is a veteran…
Read MoreFrom Holly, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission: Last winter, we received a bag of donated tulip bulbs. In February, a few of our staff planted them at Shepherd’s Door, our women and children’s recovery center. We lovingly dug holes, added fertilizer, watered them and covered them over with compost and soil. We provided…
Read MoreLife on the streets is difficult. People die. Usually, few others notice. On April 2nd, Linda (known on the street as “River”) passed away from an overdose. A few days later, the staff at our Burnside Shelter offered a public memorial service for her. From Tony, a staff member of Portland Rescue Mission: It’s not…
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