Run for Shelter

Last Wednesday I was blessed with the opportunity to join our church’s confirmation students as they volunteered at the Northlands Rescue Mission in Grand Forks, ND. When I first heard that this group of kids (my daughter included) would be going I wanted to volunteer immediately. I've heard many good things about this Mission and I wanted to know firsthand what it was all about. So now I’m going to share my experience with you. It’s interesting stuff.

All the goodies the church kids brought for supper.

Northlands Rescue Mission serves 21 counties in North Dakota and Minnesota. They operate mainly on donations from the community. Our tour guide, Josh, mentioned a few of their bigger food donors being Hugo’s, OliveGarden, and Panera Bread (daily).

Northlands Rescue Mission

This mission has 140 beds and at present they are all full. However, they will never turn anyone away. There are cots available so the staff will find extra places to set people up. They serve between 120-160 people for each meal. They serve breakfast, lunch, and supper every day and never turn anyone away. Supper is open to the public so anyone can come and have a free meal. If they run out of what's being served they'll whip something up for anyone who hasn't ate yet. The cooks have to be very creative with all of the donations they receive. 

70% of the residence have jobs outside of the mission and everyone is required to complete assigned chores daily. There are 120 men and 20 women who reside at this mission; men on one floor and women on another. So husbands and wives are not allowed to stay together. I assume many women stay at another mission where children can also reside.

After we served about 120 people Josh gave us a tour of the 1st floor. We were not allowed to see the rooms because the residence were all starting to go upstairs (the staff keeps it locked during the day). 

The Thrift Shop had lots of different items such as clothes, toiletries, shoes, little trinkets, etc. They open the shop a few times a week for the residence to come and pick a few items. They keep an inventory so each person is limited to how many items they can take. Our church kids brought about 25 new pillows and pillowcases as a donation. 

The food pantry was stocked with donations of soups, canned vegetables, peanut butter, cookies, cake mixes, sauces, etc. One of the girls said, “Wow this is what I need for the Zombie Apocalypse!” 

Dry food items

There were many different rooms; a room for drinks, walk-in freezers, a laundry room, a thrift shop, new donations room (items to sort), and the Kids+ room. At this particular mission there are only men and women and no children, but they have what’s called the Kids+ Program. This program works closely with the schools teachers and counselors to identify children grades K-5th who may not be getting the nutrition they need at home. 

Kids+ Program

It wasn't the lack of food I noticed right away, but it was the hand prints all over the walls. Dozens of children’s paint filled hands left prints all over the brightly painted yellow walls. It made the room seem happy and full of life. Full of little people’s lives. Ones that do not have enough to eat when they leave school for the weekend or on holiday breaks. This room was not stocked with food as well as the other rooms had been. 

Every Friday 250 children throughout the Grand Forks school district are given a bag of food to take home and consume over the weekend. These bags cannot exceed the weight of 5 pounds because the children can’t carry more than that in their backpacks. A typical bag is usually 2 fruits, some snacks, and a few meals. 5 pounds is not a lot of food but with the Kids+ program these children don't have to worry about not eating until they return to school on Monday. 

A few of the Kids+ bags

250 children- wow! I asked one of our chaperon's how many kids we have in our school district and she said 409. That'd be over half of our school districts children that wouldn't have enough food to eat. I know there are thousands of children who do not get enough to eat on a daily basis but standing in that room made it very real. 

A few months ago I was discussing some running ideas with a friend and he suggested Run for Shelter. He has been donating to Northlands Rescue Mission for quite some time but now I know firsthand how important it is for these people to have somewhere to go. Especially with these extreme cold temperatures we've had this winter. So I've been brainstorming some ideas and have a little more research to do on Run for Shelter. As of right now I'm off to a good start, If anyone would like to help me with this new journey I would love some help or at least some input. 

Remember The Road Behind Me is about moving forward and not dwelling on the past. It may have been a long bumpy ride but God has shined a light on a new road, a new day, a new you. Take His hand and move forward.