This January, the Allentown Rescue Mission will celebrate 125 years of Rescuing, Rehabilitating, and Restoring men experiencing homelessness. It’s launching a year-long social media campaign to look back over its history and highlight moments, milestones, and the men who have benefited from its life-changing services. The Mission is also challenging the public to raise $125,000 for its 125 years of service through individual and corporate donations.
In 1900, Obadiah Becker founded the Mission out of his family home, and by 1917, the Mission had grown into a substantial institution and the growth continued throughout the years. Today, the Mission shelters nearly 1,000 men and serves over 65,000 meals annually. It operates a 123-bed facility that provides three distinct programs to help men change the trajectory of their lives. It rescues men off the streets and teaches biblical principles and life skills in its Transformation Program to men seeking further healing. Men who complete the Transformation Program are eligible for immediate transitional employment on the Clean Team Workforce where they gain work experience and save money for housing to end their homelessness.
Over the decades, the Allentown Rescue Mission has adapted to and addressed the changing face of homelessness to provide life-changing help to thousands of men. The Mission welcomed soldiers returning from all tours of duty beginning with World War I, victims of the Great Depression, addicts from the emerging drug culture of the 1960s, patients after the de-institutionalization of mental illness and the AIDS epidemic, men financially injured from the 2008 recession and housing market collapse, and most recently men looking for safe shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Over the past 125 years, the Allentown Rescue Mission has been an essential institution addressing homelessness, re-education, and re-employment for thousands of clients. With continued community support, we hope to carry on our Mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and restore men for the next 125 years,” said Skip Smith, CEO of the Allentown Rescue Mission.
The public is invited to follow the year-long celebration on Facebook, Instagram, or X, and donate to the $125,000 fundraising challenge at www.allentownrescuemission.org or on Venmo or PayPal. The Allentown Rescue Mission is a local non-profit that is 100% non-government funded. It thanks all donors, supporters, and anyone considering supporting its Mission in the future.
