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Victor Valley Rescue Mission
By Eliz Dowdy

The Victor Valley Rescue Mission and partners hit a home run out of the ball park when it comes to aiding those families and individuals who are economically challenged.

The mission has a daily feeding program, but for Christmas they were collecting toys so that no child would awaken on Christmas morn without a gift. Earlier in the week they had issued an appeal to the community for additional assistance; the response was not just an additional 800 toys needed for girls, but 1,200, according to sources. Churches, individuals, merchants, Facebook friends, and twitter followers responded. The toy give-away was held on Wednesday, December 21, at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds. Although scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., people were in line by 8 a.m. The lines grew longer, not shorter, and with an hour left for the scheduled give-away the lines were still incredibly long. Staff told the Precinct Reporter that only those already signed up to receive a toy were guaranteed to get an age-appropriate gift. Parents and their young children waited; there were crafts, including face painting for the children; they were served lunch and listened to Christian entertainment as they mingled in the crowded main building of the fairgrounds. One of the entertainers was Chil C, a Christian rap artist. Parents were able to rest and listen to him as their children were involved in crafts.

The Victor Valley was especially hard hit during the housing bubble burst because of the emphasis on construction and construction-related jobs. Large numbers of people saw their homes foreclosed, jobs down-sized, and gas prices rise for their daily commute to jobs in Los Angeles County. 

The Rescue Mission has seen a marked increase in the number of people they are serving on a daily basis. The executive director of the Victor Valley Rescue Mission is Ron Wilson, they exemplify the admonition of Jesus Christ to “feed the hungry, clothe the naked,” working with partner churches to give not only physical food , but the Living Word to feed the souls of the people.

Local shelters see more first-time homeless

December 23, 2011 - Daily Press

When Katie Mayfield lost her home following a serious illness in late 2009, she turned to family to shelter her, her eldest child and her three sets of twins. After relying on relative'’ kindness for a year, the financial strain got to be too much. Mayfield was forced to turn to transitional housing programs and homeless shelters for help, but found none in her hometown of San Bernardino that would accommodate a family of her size.

For the last two weeks, Mayfield and her seven children have been living at High Desert Homeless Services’ shelter on Amargosa Road in Victorville. Read entire story...

Desperate times lead to new lives
December 16, 2011 - Special to the Daily Press 

Four years ago, Robert Petersen was a plumbing contractor who'd been married 37 years. "Everything started to fall apart on me at one time," he said. When the recession hit, Petersen's plumbing business dwindled. His mother died. His wife divorced him. "I'm 62 right now and that's a drastic change — from a lifetime of working and having a marriage to not having any of that," he said.

His motivation lost, Petersen drifted across the country. Eventually he found himself at Victor Valley Rescue Mission, where they're seeing more and more stories like his.
"You're not just getting guys that have been chronically homeless," said John Schmidt, program manager at Victor Valley Rescue Mission. "You're getting guys that have lost their wives, lost their children, lost their businesses, lost their careers."

Not long ago, the men who came to the mission for food, clothing and help were typically single, with long-standing addictions and a history of homelessness. Now Schmidt is seeing electrical contractors, welders and plumbers — men who used to have stable jobs, homes and families.

"Over the last couple of years, we're seeing guys in the program that have just gone through some seismic event in their job or their family," Schmidt said. "They're turning to these other elements — alcohol and drugs. Half of the guys we have fit that description." Read Entire Story...

Victor Valley Rescue Mission seeing more men who've lost jobs, families

December 16, 2011 11:48 AM 
HOLLY LA PAT, Special to the Daily Press

December 2011 - Four years ago, Robert Petersen was a plumbing contractor who'd been married 37 years. "Everything started to fall apart on me at one time," he said. When the recession hit, Petersen’s plumbing business dwindled. His mother died. His wife divorced him.

“I’m 62 right now and that’s a drastic change — from a lifetime of working and having a marriage to not having any of that,” he said. His motivation lost, Petersen drifted across the country. Eventually he found himself at Victor Valley Rescue Mission, where they’re seeing more and more stories like his.

“You’re not just getting guys that have been chronically homeless,” said John Schmidt, program manager at Victor Valley Rescue Mission. “You’re getting guys that have lost their wives, lost their children, lost their businesses, lost their careers.”

Not long ago, the men who came to the mission for food, clothing and help were typically single, with long-standing addictions and a history of homelessness. Now Schmidt is seeing electrical contractors, welders and plumbers — men who used to have stable jobs, homes and families.

“Over the last couple of years, we’re seeing guys in the program that have just gone through some seismic event in their job or their family,” Schmidt said. “They’re turning to these other elements — alcohol and drugs. Half of the guys we have fit that description.” Read entire story...

Food drive garners 1,168 items for rescue mission

December 2011 - Eight local Options For Youth schools had collected more than 1,168 food items for the Victor Valley Rescue Mission as of Friday, officials said, with hopes to raise more by Dec. 15.

Linda Biggs, the center coordinator at the Hesperia Options for Youth, said the food drive began Oct. 24 after the manager at the thrift store next-door asked for help.

“They said their food pantry is getting emptied daily,” said Biggs, who spearheaded the school drive. “The economy has been very difficult.”

Ron Wilson, Victor Valley Rescue Mission director, said more than 3,000 families have signed up with the organization’s food pantry program, but the mission can only give food to 500 families a month. The food pantry runs year round, he added.

“Options for Youth has been great,” Wilson said. “They have been one of our stronger providers this year.”

Some of the students at Options For Youth struggle themselves, Biggs said.

“I had one kid whose family is really struggling and he could only bring in one can,” she said. “His dad is out of work. The student said even though times are tight, everybody can do something.” Read entire story...

Sultana ASB classes compete to collect most canned goods
November 29, 2011 8:56 AM
Beau Yarbrough Staff Writer

Sultana High School Principal Larry Bird changed into an old T-shirt and workout clothes before stepping out into the quad during a recent lunch break. Things were going to get messy.

The Sultans had just wrapped up their annual canned goods drive on Nov. 18. To celebrate, Bird and the ASB class that collected the fewest cans were about to be doused in canned Thanksgiving foods.

“I got it no matter what, no matter what they got,” Bird said later.

The goal this year was 8,000 cans of food collected for the needy. The final count, as of Friday morning: 10,223 cans.

“Especially when you’re looking at tough times,” Bird said, “it just shows that people still want to help out their neighbors. I believe it’s       one of the biggest turnouts we’ve ever had.”

Last year, the Sultans collected a little more than 6,100 cans.

Bird and members of the junior ASB officers took their places in chairs just off the main drag, surrounded by a crowd grinning in  anticipation. He and the juniors howled and laughed as creamed corn, hominy, sweet potatoes and baked beans all poured, cold and wet, straight from the cans. Bird shot up in his seat, wiping his eyes as the juices from the canned sweet potatoes stung his eyes.

“I wasn’t quite expecting that,” he said, “but how many times do you have food poured all over you?”

The collected food was donated to local churches and the Victor Valley Rescue Mission. On Nov. 17, Sultana ASB fed the homeless at the Victor Valley Rescue Mission. See online article...

Victor Valley Rescue Mission's Real Heart... Hear how you can help with the food drive... 
(Listen to the SOS Radio interview)