Dear friends of the Urban Mission,

Can you believe we have almost reached the end of 2023? Wow!  It’s always around this time of the year that I find myself in a reflective mood. What will I remember about 2023? There are many things that come to mind.

One thought in particular is the word “Invested.” This is the word we chose as the Urban Mission’s theme for the year. Reflecting on this theme, I am thankful for the many opportunities the Urban Mission has had to invest in the lives of others throughout 2023. Whether it was through our food pantry or our shelters, our thrift store, our job readiness programs, or our weekly ministry opportunities, we have tried to live out our theme of being “invested” the best we know how. We hope our work has been honoring to God and that we made you proud as well!

For those of you who are our prayer partners, donors, and volunteers you might be wondering how your investment in the Urban Mission fared this year.

Here are some important numbers I wanted to share with you. 

As of the beginning of November, the Urban Mission hosted 29,638 visits to our food pantry and provided provide 639,358 meals!

-       We provided shelter to 334 people and exited 200 families to permanent housing!

-       We distributed 631 clothing vouchers and more than 600 coats, hats and gloves.

-       We created space for life changing breakthroughs to occur and prepared 95 individuals for the workforce.

-       We hosted 52 worship services or Bible studies and celebrated multiple victories over addiction, loneliness, and despair.

-       And in spite of the busyness of the year, we also launched Phase One of our Opportunity Center renovation at the 7^th Street plaza!

As you know, each number represents a person, or a family, whose life was impacted by a simple bag of food, or a warm bed to sleep in, or just a listening ear. Knowing this, reminds us that our investments of prayer, resources and time are absolutely worth it! 

Now, as we prepare for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, the work continues! In fact, we expect 1,000 MORE local families will walk through the doors of an Urban Mission ministry site seeking help. 

If you’ve been looking for a way to “invest” in a ministry this season, I encourage you to consider the Urban Mission. We appreciate your generosity and support.

Invested in you,                                                                                            

Rev. Ashley Steele                                                                                       

Executive Director

The Urban Mission invites the community to join us on Thursday, November 16, 2023, as we observe National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness week through a community conversation created to address the truths of Hunger & Homelessness in our community.  

This event will provide an opportunity for dialogue between individuals who have experienced homelessness and those who want to learn more about homelessness. Community members will also learn about the community agencies who are working together to address the issues of hunger and homelessness in our community and how they can get involved. 

Have you seen our staff stories that have been playing on our social media pages? With the assistance of Tim Long of Meteor Visuals, our staff has been able to share their testimonies and their experiences serving at the Urban Mission, providing wonderful insight into the ministry at the Mission. 

Here are few more videos we thoughts you'd enjoy:

Amanda Moore, our Client Engagement Coordinator

Rev. Ashley Steele, Executive Director

Awtihana Smith, Donor Engagement Coordinator

Cynthia Lytle, Director of Community Engagement

Emily Brady, Shelter Navigator

Sasha Wililimer, Shelter Shift Leader

Terrence Rainbow, Facilities Director

Stop by Urban Thrift this month to get all your holiday décor! 

We will be setting up special Christmas displays and will have surprise sales all through the month of November. 

We’ll also be receiving donations every Tuesday through Friday, from 9am to 4pm.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon! 

You are always welcome at Urban Thrift & Opportunity Center!

Christmas is a time of giving. Here are the ways to bless someone this Christmas season:

ADOPT A CHILD & help provide new toys for our Christmas Shop. If you’d like, you can begin shopping now for an age group of your choice. We ask that all toys be dropped off at our main office by December 5^th.

If you have any questions, please contact Awtihana Smith. She can be reached at 740.282.8010 or asmith@urbanmission.org. 

DONATE NEW GLOVES, HATS & SCARVES for children and adults. These items are always needed and can be dropped off at the Urban Mission main office any time! We are also still distributing coats, hats, and gloves free of charge at our thrift store.

SHOP FOR TEENS: Teens can be hard to buy for, but they always love to receive toiletries, candy & gift cards. These items can be dropped off at our main office.

DONATE GENTLY USED TOYS such as games and puzzles for our Santa’s Recycle Shop. Please, no stuffed animals. We are asking that all toys be gently used, clean, and with all working parts.

DONATE wrapping paper, tape, bags & gift boxes. Items can be dropped off at our main office.

VOLUNTEER AT CHRISTMAS:

This year, every week in December leading up to Christmas will be jam packed full of volunteer opportunities for you to participate in. To volunteer, please call Cynthia Lytle at 740.282.8010 or email: clytle@urbanmission.org.

All Christmas donations can be dropped off or mailed to 311 North 6^th Street, Steubenville, OH, 43952. Thank you for your support!