San Diego CA— The San Diego Rescue Mission will receive a $75,000 grant from Alliance Healthcare Foundation. Over the course of 3 years, the San Diego Rescue Mission will receive $25,000 a year to support health and wellness initiatives within the Rescue Mission’s programs. The mission of the San Diego Rescue Missions is to lovingly address the needs of men, women and children experiencing homelessness, by sharing the Good News of Salvation and providing a holistic approach to rehabilitation and recovery.
The Rescue Mission’s holistic approach focuses on the entire person – mind, body and soul – so individuals can experience healing and wholeness. The Alliance Healthcare Foundation’s Mission Support grant award will be used by the Rescue Mission to build out a more comprehensive nutrition component of its programs, as foodservice staff collaborate to provide healthy options on menus and accommodate dietary restrictions of its residents and emergency shelter guests.
Alliance Healthcare’s Mission Support program serves nonprofit organizations who meet Alliance’s mission of advancing health and wellness for the most vulnerable in San Diego County, who often experience inequities in health and social outcomes. The Rescue Mission’s students and their children are the most vulnerable community residents, with multiple needs that far exceed having a roof over their heads. As a result, the San Diego Rescue Mission holistically addresses the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs through wraparound services.
“When I joined the Mission in 2017, I knew a cultural shift was needed to address healthy living and holistic wellness to align with our core values,” said Donnie Dee, CEO of the San Diego Rescue Mission. “We implemented Up and Running, a half-marathon fitness program for our students at the Mission Academy and added an on-site gym on our campus which offers a safe place to exercise. Now, thanks to the grant from Alliance Healthcare Foundation, we aim to take the nutrition portion of our meal services to the next level, educating individuals and families to make healthier food choices.”
The San Diego Rescue Mission partners with a variety of other agencies and organizations to enhance its services to men, women and children who are experiencing homelessness. The Mission works with the Health and Human Services Agency to reunify mothers and children and works with the County of San Diego to serve as a portal for unsheltered families, offering information regarding permanent housing or rehabilitation services. The Rescue Mission’s Partners for Hunger Relief program, in partnership with The Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego, provides food items at no cost to over 50 nonprofits fighting food insecurity in our community. This program is currently experiencing a 400% increase in food delivery since the COVID-19 outbreak in our region.
The Rescue Mission’s goal is not just to feed and shelter, but to create sustainable, permanent change to leave the chaos of living on the streets behind through life-changing services and flourish in the community. For more information, please visit www.sdrescue.org.