Dear Friends,

A steep drop-off in donations from the economic downturn and earthquakes in Haiti and Chile has left our Rescue Mission facing a $326,917 shortfall in donations — at a time when requests from homeless men, women, and children for help are up more than 256 percent!

Every summer, we see donations dip. But this year, the consequences of such a slump could be worse than any we’ve ever seen before. Struggling families, single moms, the elderly — will be hurt the worst.

The homeless in Orange County need us, maybe now more than ever. That’s why we need you. Join us in Operation Lighthouse and send your most generous gift to the Rescue Mission today.

Help us to keep the Light on for the Least, the Last and the Lost.

God's grace and your generosity brought Jeff back from the brink of suicide.

Jeff secretly checked into the cheap motel and prepared to end his life. “I paid 30 days in advance to make sure nobody found me for a long time,” he says. “I wrote my suicide note and was on the bed with a knife in my hand. I was thinking about how I had hurt everyone who cared about me. But then something in me said, ‘You’re not meant to do this.’ At that moment,” Jeff says, “God took away my fear. I knew things wouldn’t be easy, but I was not afraid of the future anymore.”

Jeff’s life wasn’t always so bleak. When he was still in his 20s, he was a national sales leader for a big company. Then came 25 years as a top-flight investment manager. Life was good. But all that changed when a painful divorce was followed by the loss of his job. “I’d put all my eggs into that basket, economically,” Jeff recalls, “and I was struggling emotionally with losing my family. Drugs and alcohol were a part of that,” he explains. “I just couldn’t handle the stress.”

Now he’s discovered new life — at the Orange County Rescue Mission. “I’m living in a homeless shelter, and I say that with pride,” Jeff says. “I’ve had so many prayers answered here. I feel safe, like my life is completely in God’s hands.”

The Mission sees desperate people like Jeff every day. But now, a summer slump threatens our ability to serve the growing number of people who need our help. Thank you for your unwavering support. Because of you, people like Jeff will always have a safe place to go.

Rocky is not yet 20 years old, and his wife, Tiffani, is not much older. But between the two of them, they have more than a dozen drug convictions, several stints in prison or on probation, and have had experiences no one should have to go through.

“My best friend, Joseph, committed suicide while he was on meth,” Rocky recalls. “He pulled the trigger right in front of his dad.” That was a real wakeup call for me,” Tiffani says. “I was doing the same drug Joseph was.” Tiffani came from a good home, she says, but fell into a bad crowd after high school.

Rocky’s childhood was just the opposite. After his parents divorced when he was 12, he and his mother hopped from one cheap motel to another. For Rocky and Tiffani, the last few years have been a haze of drug use and jail time. Getting married and raising children together have given them a new reason to clean up their lives. That’s how they ended up coming to our Village of Hope.

“I can’t stay clean and sober without God,” Tiffani explains. “Every time I fall away from God, I get back on drugs.” Rocky and Tiffani admit they’ve made a lot of mistakes. But, with your help, they’re getting a fresh start at the Mission.

Rhianna has spent half her life struggling with drugs and alcohol. It’s taken everything from her: family, jobs, relationships. The only thing left is her young son. It was because of her little boy that Rhianna finally took the step she needed, and came to the Mission for help.

“I’ve had good jobs in hospitality and healthcare,” she says, “but lost them because of drugs or when I became homeless. I slept on the floor of a garage in Palm Springs,” she remembers. “It got to be 120 degrees in there. I showered with a hose in the backyard.”

Then Rhianna suffered a miscarriage and things went from bad to worse. “It was a really bad time,” she recalls. “I dreaded taking another breath. The guilt and shame of not being the mother I should be was so bad. That’s what got me looking for help.”

”The last four months at the Mission have been amazing, she says. “I’ve always felt hopeless and helpless,” Rhianna explains. “I’m so inspired by the people here. I finally feel like doors are opening for me.” After years of battling drugs and alcohol, Rhianna thought she was “hopeless and helpless.” But the Mission is teaching her that isn’t true!

Jerry Laforteza and his wife, Frances Ann, arrived in the USA from the Philippines in 1999. Since the winter of 2001, he has served as a Volunteer Youth Pastor and as the Worship Leader at the First Baptist Church of Santa Ana. Jerry is also an assistant coach and athletic trainer for the Santa Ana High School wrestling team.

His church had been making financial donations to the work of the Orange County Rescue Mission for some time when a meeting between Jerry and his pastor ignited the spark of an idea. As part of their initiative to extend the church's outreach into the community, they decided that they would like to augment the church's monthly gift to the Rescue Mission and provide food to feed the residents at the House of Hope.

So for the past two years, on the last Sunday of each month, Jerry has taken up to five young people and 10 adult youth volunteers to the House of Hope where they serve meals to the residents. Jerry also arranges transportation for some of the parents and children living there to enable them to attend the Sunday morning church service to worship and to enjoy fellowship with the congregation.

Jerry feels that in helping the homeless he is following the example of Christ. He notes that the young people benefit from it because they see a different side of life. "Even if they have little, they appreciate what they have more when they contrast it with those who don't even have a home of their own." He says that by practicing what they preach their focus is taken off their own hardships and placed on what they can do for others.

Thank YOU, Jerry, and the First Baptist Church of Santa Ana for your generosity in continuing to support the work of the Orange County Rescue Mission!

“It feels vulnerable not to have a house anymore,” said Jimmy Reinstein, 18.

The Anaheim teen wasn’t really homeless. Along with about 20 other high school students from Calvary Church, Anaheim, Jimmy had volunteered to sleep outside for a night as part of the Orange County Rescue Mission’s first annual Sleepless in Orange County homeless awareness program. The program is designed “to give young people an experience that softens their heart and empowers them to make a difference in their own communities,” said Margarett Coleman, Advisor to the President for Performance.

And the message seemed to hit home — at least with some of the students. After getting a taste of what some street people experience (like having bright lights shined in their faces by the police — or in this case, two Mission volunteers dressed as police officers), Jannet Zamora said the experience made her more sympathetic to the plight of the homeless .

“It’s sad,” she said. “Not everybody has the opportunity to live in luxury in Orange County.”

The Assistance League is a national nonprofit organization that puts caring and commitment into action through community-based philanthropic programs, and the Assisteens are a teenage auxiliary comprised of kids in grades 7-12 who conduct their own community service and fundraising events.

In recent years, the Assisteens of Tustin have developed a close relationship with the Orange County Rescue Mission. Assisteen Chairman Hayley Yerkes, a recent graduate of Foothill High School, having witnessed firsthand the grateful smiles on the faces of those receiving food during meal services, saw that large food donations could have great impact on the hungry and homeless. “I thought that holding an annual food drive that benefited the Rescue Mission could make a considerable impact on my community,” Hayley said. “It would also serve as a great opportunity to introduce volunteers to hands-on community service.”

Serving meals at the Rescue Mission inspired Hayley to help in the organization of two food drives this year, which involved meeting with local grocery stores and organizing shifts filled with Assisteens members. As a result of the first food drive, held on January 16, the Assisteens of Tustin were able to collect over 3,000 pounds of food! The second food drive on April 17 contributed slightly less than 3,000 pounds.

“I was also in charge of raising community awareness about the event through advertisements and e-mails as well as encouraging our members to participate in the drive. My favorite part of the food drive was hearing the various stories of why people chose to donate, whether it is their connection to a homeless friend or simply a desire to give back.”

Through Hayley's work, she's had the opportunity to spread the spirit of volunteerism to a group of 120 volunteers. “I hope that through my work with the food drives,” Hayley says, “I have encouraged and inspired others to volunteer in the Tustin community. I sincerely love volunteering as it allows me to meet new people and make an impact on the community around me.”

This year, Hayley Yerkes was a recipient of one of Disneyland Resort's Scholarship Awards, given to 10 Orange County students for their excellence and leadership in community service. The $5,000 scholarship honored Hayley for her work in Assisteens, specifically regarding her work to organize food drives to benefit the Orange County Rescue Mission.

More and more these past few weeks, I’ve been receiving phone calls from longtime friends of the Mission who have fallen on hard financial times. They are heartbroken that they can no longer support the Mission as generously as they once did. Other times, I hear from donors who are helping friends or neighbors in need by taking them into their own homes. They, too, are apologetic they can’t give like they did not so long ago.

Stories like these illustrate how great the need still is here in our community. So many people need our help, and there are so few resources to go around. And then, on top of all that, giving to the Mission is in its annual “summer slump.” Knowing such a slump is coming is one thing. Dealing with the consequences is something else. Sometimes I wonder if we can keep up with the growing need.

We have so many projects and partnerships under way these days. So much work going on to make sure no person — no family — in need falls through the cracks. Sometimes I wish I were 29 again. I used to be able to work until 2:30 a.m. with no problem. Now, I’m pretty wiped out by midnight. But then my phone rings again, and I know we cannot rest. Not while so many people are praying the Mission can help them.

God is in charge, and good people like you are standing with us. Please do what you can to help.

In His service,

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.

Ralphs Community Contributions Program!
Congratulations to Ralphs for donating almost $3 million this past year through its Community Contributions Program. If you are signed up through your Ralphs Rewards card, and have designated the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary, then a portion of these funds have been 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. (We'll keep you updated on the quarterly progress!)

From December through February, 19 Ralphs shoppers accumulated $191.28 for OCRM just by shopping for their family groceries as a community programs shopper! Join today and help!

Click here to sign up.

Thank you!