When coming up with ways to stretch City Rescue Mission’s impact in the community, Community Outreach Coordinator Christie Honza had an answer: hitting the road.
Since January, Christie has been using an outreach truck to deliver items like clothing, water and hygiene items to our city’s street homeless. What started as a passion project to meet needs beyond City Rescue Mission’s doors, has transformed into a growing weekly outreach program.
From its humble beginnings, sporadically taking an assortment of donations out in a pickup truck – to operating out of a branded box truck with pre-assembled packets at a central location each week, the program has evolved into a more organized, substantial form of outreach.
“It’s beginning to take shape. We didn’t know what outreach in Oklahoma City was going to look like,” says Christie, “But, we’ve made connections with people who are already doing it. There is strength in numbers, so we are partnering with other agencies and nonprofits once a week.”
For Christie, it’s about consistency, showing up, being present and building relationships.
Already, the small team is making connections with the men and women they’re serving, with the hopes of creating a ripple effect. By being present outside the Mission, they’re reaching even more people who are struggling – letting them know about the many services available on campus.
“We’re beginning to develop those relationships, remembering names and faces,” says Christie. “There’s something about sitting with someone in their pain, so they know they aren’t alone. We all just want to be seen.”
Thanks to donors like you, even more men and women struggling with homelessness are getting the help they need.
