More Bricks, Less Straw? N obody forces you to serve people; it’s your calling and your joy, a desire written on your heart. But it can get a little tricky when needs increase during a time when many donors are preoccupied with their own summer plans and they forget to support your ministry. “I have made this saying a mantra around our community, whether people want to hear it or not: ‘Hunger and homelessness don’t take a summer break,’” says Mike Unger, executive director of Madera Rescue Mission in California. “With that said, it remains a tough mindset to transfer to the community’s giving. Needs remain the same if not more so in this area; however, the provi- sion often shrinks. This forces staff to make changes—for example, to menu items.” The same is true at LifePath Christian Ministries in York, Penn- sylvania. John Ellis, who serves on the leadership team, puts it this way: “It is much harder to think of the importance of donating funds, time, or food to those in need while your family is in the midst of summer camp and vacation. It has been said that need knows no season, and I have seen this firsthand. We at LifePath Christian Ministries are grateful for every single hour, penny, and prayer, but there is always room for more!” Safe Harbor Rescue Mission in Hickory, North Carolina, also typi- cally experiences a drop in donations during the summer, but recently that has changed. “For the last two years, donors have offered a matching gift campaign in May,” says Executive Director Vicki Murray. “This has made a huge difference.” Whether or not donations decrease, most missions serve the same number or people or far more in the warmer season. The increase is sometimes because winter shelters have closed; sometimes because the mission is located in an area that attracts summer tourists. “It used to be that things slowed down in the summer,” says Brad Meuli, president/CEO of Denver Rescue Mission. “That is no longer true and has not been true for several years. It might be because Colorado is such a great place to be in the sum- mer for people traveling. So we are not seeing much change!” This season finds Good Samaritan Mission in Jackson, Wyoming, at full capacity as well, according to Executive Director Chuck Fidroeff. “Summer brings more people along with more challenges,” he says. “We have part-time staff helping us ensure we maintain a clean, sober environment, which can be challeng- ing in an area where there are more bars than churches. Feeding changes from dinner averages of 25 to 30 in the winter to more than 60 in the summer.” While Good Samaritan serves more meals on-site, they give out far fewer food boxes. More local people work overtime during the summer, so they don’t have to rely on the mission for pantry staples. Chuck says these changes make summers go by quickly. New Clientele T he summer break from school causes challenges for parents who use school as daycare. Many mission staff mem- bers find themselves scrambling to invent activities to keep children busy during the day. And hiring seasonal staff for kids’ programs can prove challenging and stressful. Chris Cunningham, who serves on the leadership team at LifePath, says youth programming changes drastically in the summer. “We go from having evening events and a gathering to having a nine-week summer camp. This changes what we do totally because we take students out of the city to enjoy pools, parks, and tours.” More Volunteers S ome missions are blessed with additional volunteers from local churches during the summer. Every Tuesday from mid- May until the end of July a new youth group comes to Beautiful Feet Min- istries in Texas. They stay a week at the mission, helping in the soup kitchen each morning, and then going out on the streets to share the gospel and give away pastries and water. 46 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAY/JUNE 2017