Night after night, you sleep on wet grass. If not there, then on cold, hard concrete. Every layer of clothing is damp when you get up. The morning air chills you to the bone. 

Staying warm is a life-or-death battle, especially during the winter months. And finding food each day is a necessity.  These are hardships that Hannah* faced while living on the streets. 

“I never realized how unhealthy, hungry and dehydrated I was. I honestly don’t know how I even survived,” Hannah shares.  

Alone and lost out on the streets, she felt like no one cared. Like everyone just saw her as an outcast or a target.  

“You can’t trust anyone. You end up lost in strange neighborhoods not knowing how you got there or where to get help.”

Hannah was losing all hope. That’s when the Mission’s Search and Rescue street outreach team found her . . .

“Seeing the Search and Rescue van was like seeing an angel. Like God was sending help along the way,” Hannah shares. 

Hannah knew right away that this group of people were different. 

“They never judged me,” she says. “They just knew I was hurting and that really mattered.” 

She saw that they truly cared and wanted to help her. 

“Search and Rescue isn’t just a drive by service to give you food and water. It’s an invitation to come to where the help is. An invitation to a better life,” Hannah shares.  

Hannah accepted that invitation. Now, she is healthy, in stable housing and working as a peer counselor for other hurting people in our community. 

Because of the crucial support and volunteer hours provided by friends like you, Hannah could step into a new life. 

Friends like Ramona volunteer with Search and Rescue to help show love, share hope and offer life-changing services. Ramona has seen first hand how crucial our Search and Rescue ministry is. 

“Search and Rescue saves lives.” she explains. “In many instances people can’t find the Mission. Can’t get to it. They’re too far away. They’re too sick.”  

It’s obvious that God is working through dedicated community members like you to make a real difference.

Tonight, however, there’s still hungry and hurting people who need your help.

“After my evening with Search and Rescue, I cried out of gratitude for what God was doing in the lives of people we met on the street. But also, I cried because there’s so much more that needs to be done,” Ramona shares.  

You can help vulnerable men, women and children still struggling on the streets. Families and individuals desperate to escape homelessness and rebuild their lives.