Women in Oklahoma City who are deeply concerned about the needs of homeless and impoverished women and children, will pledge to support City Rescue Mission during the annual Hearts of Hope Tea on Thursday, February 23, 2012.

The event will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the National Cowboy Western and Heritage Museum. Last year, more than $155,400 was raised during the Hearts of Hope Tea! This year’s goal is $160,000 and proceeds will be used to enhance the outdoor park area used by women and families staying at City Rescue Mission.

Ladies attending the event will enjoy a delicious lunch, learn about the Mission’s services and hear how God has changed lives through the ministry. After the program, those in attendance will be given the opportunity to contribute to the outdoor enhancement project.

For more information about the Hearts of Hope Tea, contact Shellie Holt at (405) 232-2709 ext. 160.

Christmas is right around the corner and we have several needs this holiday season.

We are collecting men's, women's and children's, hats, gloves and scarves. These items will be wrapped up and handed out to each client living at the Mission on Christmas Eve.

The second way you can help the Mission this Christmas, is by purchasing a new, unwrapped toy for our Christmas Wish Store. The Christmas Wish Store will be set up the week leading up to Christmas and will give parents the opportunity to pick out and wrap Christmas gifts for their children. The Mission has set up a Wish List at Target with toy ideas. You can view our wish lists by visiting www.target.com

Once you are on the Target website, click on Target Lists. Then in the search box type City Rescue as the First Name and Mission as the Last Name. Our wish lists will then pop up and you can view some of the items we are in need of.

All items can be dropped off at City Rescue Mission, 800 W California between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday! Thank you in advance for helping to make Christmas special for the people living at City Rescue Mission.

After a summer of scorching temperatures, City Rescue Mission is thankful for cooler weather. With fall, comes a season of Thanksgiving, and preparations have already begun for our Thanks-For-Giving Food Drive. The Mission will be collecting food items for food boxes through Tuesday, November 22nd. On this Tuesday, many volunteers will gather to help distribute approximately 2,500 food boxes, filled with items for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, for the near homeless population in the Oklahoma City Metro area.

“Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the blessing in our own lives, as well as, reach out to others who are less fortunate. That is why we are asking our community to partner with us to provide food boxes to thousands of near-homeless people right here in our city,” said Tom Jones, President and CEO of the Mission. “Fall is a time for us to continue to provide services to those that are in need. It’s a time to be thankful for our loved ones and to pray for those who are less fortunate.”

Anyone interested in helping with the Mission’s Thanksgiving food drive, can purchase the following items and drop them off at the Mission or they can organize a good drive at their school, work place or church. Items needed include: frozen turkeys/hams, stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes, canned green beans, canned corn, pumpkin pie filling, ready made pie crust. Donations can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at City Rescue Mission, 800 W California Ave.