Volunteers play an invaluable role in the ministry of Portland Rescue Mission. In 2022 alone, 877 volunteers served a grand total of 15,397 hours. Each hour was filled with the kind of relational care that brings hope to men, women, and children who struggle with hunger and homelessness. The gifts of time, talent, and heart make it possible for the Mission to serve our neighbors in need, and for that, we are so grateful! This month our Volunteer Profile features our friend Jamie.

I heard about the volunteer opportunities through other ladies at my church, and their enthusiasm for the growth they could see in the ladies at Shepherd’s Door was so encouraging.  It is a program that works on changing lives through Christ.

I get to teach ladies what God says about work, and it has been a very helpful lesson as it gets to the heart of why we work as Christians, what we’ve been designed for, etc.  I have enjoyed the discussions with the ladies about how they are thinking differently about their future because they see a path forward.

When teaching one day, the story of David and Goliath came up, and I asked the ladies how many had heard the story before. I was surprised that there were some ladies that had never heard it before, and so sharing the story was so special to me. I also enjoy seeing how much the ladies care about the others in the program. If someone is struggling with something about their program or something from their past, then they all want to see that woman overcome and make it through the program, and when a participant leaves, then they grieve.

I love to tell people that there are lives being changed through the Portland Rescue Mission and Shepherd’s Door.  There are so many ways to help, and that even if you have a small window of time or even very practical skills (gardening, cooking, reading to children), there are things you can do that will have a lifetime of impact on women and children.