Dear Friend of the Mission,

Being homeless and living on the cold, hard streets of Philadelphia is bad for your health.  Homeless people are more subject to serious health issues such as heart disease, diabetes and infections.  Homeless people also suffer from malnourishment and a host of health problems resulting from a poor diet.  Often when a man arrives at the Mission, he is skin and bones, his eyes are sunken in and his skin color is not healthy.  One of our residents shared how he used to go through trash cans and dumpsters looking for his next meal.  One of the joys we experience at the Mission is seeing how the Lord restores a man’s health through good food – three nutritious and well-balanced meals a day plus snacks throughout the day and evening on the snack table.  We also want our food to taste good.  When it comes to the quality and taste of the food we serve, we try to follow the Golden Rule to “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”  As the Executive Director of the Mission, I translate the Golden Rule into a practice that we follow at the Mission:  If I won’t eat the food because of its poor quality and taste, then I don’t expect our men to eat it. 

We don’t charge for our food, and thankfully we receive a lot of food donations that allow us to serve over 73,000 meals a year at an average cost to the Mission of just 25 cents a meal!  Even at 25 cents a meal, this still adds up to thousands of dollars a year that we need to buy food as well as tens of thousands of dollars that we need to provide our men with all of the education, training, tools and resources they need to get a job, become self-supporting, obtain permanent housing and enjoy the abundant life promised by the Lord.  Even so, the Mission operates with a lean budget and works hard to squeeze extra pennies and nickels out of every dollar you give us.

Thanks for your help.  Our men are well-fed physically, and by God’s grace, we pray that they are also well-fed spiritually.  Thank you for investing in the lives of our men to give them a hope and a future.  

Your friend and co-worker,

Robert A. Emberger, D.Min.
Executive Director