There are so many ways you can make a difference in our community. By supporting the Mission, you can impact the lives of people in need through more ways than one.
Here are 5 easy ways you can help change the lives of people struggling with homelessness and poverty by partnering with Denver Rescue Mission.
1) Volunteer Your Time and Skills
Beyond monetary donations and drives, consider contributing your time and skills through volunteering. Denver Rescue Mission offers a wide array of opportunities, from serving meals at shelters to assisting with meal preparation, mentoring individuals or aiding in administrative tasks.
Serving a Meal
Tutoring
Sorting Donations
Mentoring
And so much more!
Learn more about volunteering now.
2) Start Your Own Fundraising Page for the Mission
Did you know you can customize your own fundraising page to raise funds for Denver Rescue Mission? You can set up your own fundraiser with a custom landing page and fundraising goal in just a few minutes.
You could give your birthday, ask friends to give for another special occasion, celebrate a milestone, and more! Every dollar raised contributes directly to providing shelter, support and life-changing programs to those experiencing homelessness.
Here are some ideas for hosting your own fundraiser:
- Set a clear goal: Determine how much you want to raise and share that goal with your supporters.
- Personalize your story/fundraising page: Share a compelling story about why you’re passionate about Denver Rescue Mission’s work (Checkout our Stories of Changed Lives for more stories you can share).
- Update your fundraising page with your progress: Your custom fundraising page offers you the ability to add updates to your fundraising journey as you go, letting supporters know how close you are to your goal.
- Promote your fundraiser: Share your fundraiser on your social media platforms and encourage others to join you in changing lives.
Need help? Check out these helpful articles from Classy on Starting an Individual Fundraiser or a Team Fundraiser.
3) Host a Clothing Drive
Clothing is a constant need for people who are experiencing homelessness, especially through the coldest of months. Throughout the year, you can give clothing either personally or through a community drive.
To organize a community drive:
- Let us know about your clothing drive: Contact us online to let us know about your drive and how we can support your efforts
- Partner with friends, family and local organizations: Collaborate with anyone in your network to make the most of your drive
- Suggest items that are most needed: We always need a wide variety of clothing for men, women and children, but the typical sizes we need are medium, large and extra large. Seasonal clothing is always important, like a coat drive to help people stay warm when the weather turns bitterly cold. Business appropriate clothing can also be helpful for program participants who are seeking employment.
- Remember that all clothing should be clean and free of rips, tears or stains.
- Drop-off all the donated items: Coordinate with us to drop off your donation at our Ministry Outreach Center
4) Nourish Hope With a Food Drive
Other than clothing and shelter, food is the number one thing we provide to people who come to us for help. For those in immediate need, we offer three meals a day at both our Lawrence Street Community Center and 48th Avenue Center. And for those at risk of becoming homeless, we offer a food pantry with access to food and hygiene items at our Ministry Outreach Center.
You can help by organizing a food drive to gather non-perishable food items our chefs can use to serve nourishing meals to thousands of hungry people every day.
“Someone gave us a bunch of eggs once, and it means a lot to us because we are working off of donations. It’s really hard to find breakfast items and it’s amazing because our guests love eggs. It means a lot to the kitchen.”
Gabby, Mission Chef
To ensure a successful food drive:
- Let us know about your food drive: Contact us online to let us know about your drive and how we can support you.
- Partner with friends, family and local organizations: Collaborate with anyone in your network to make the most of your drive.
- Suggest types of food that are most needed: Non-perishable food items have the longest shelf-life and can be used in a variety of situations. This may include things like canned goods, dry pasta, rice, beans, and more.
- Bulk items are okay too: Our kitchens provide thousands of meals a day, so bulk food donations are also able to make a difference in the lives of people in need.
- Don’t forget the hygiene items: Hygiene items such as soap, shampoo, feminine products, shaving cream and razors, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and more can be expensive for people in need, so including them in your drive is a great idea!
- Drop-off all the donated items: Coordinate with us to drop off your donation at our Ministry Outreach Center.
5) Fundraise On Facebook
Leverage the power of social media to spread awareness and raise funds for Denver Rescue Mission, like our friend, Mark, who did a birthday fundraiser:
“I volunteer at Lawrence Street, and I see the need. I’ve watched the chefs scramble to put stuff together, so I did a fundraiser for my birthday. I raised almost $1,200…. I feel so fortunate to have a place I can come give my time.”
Mark, Mission donor
Start by creating a Facebook fundraiser and sharing your passion for the cause. Encourage your friends, family and community to join hands in making a difference. Just like one of our custom fundraising pages, your Facebook fundraiser will be more successful if you:
- Set a clear goal: Determine how much you want to raise and share that goal with your supporters.
- Personalize your story: Share a compelling story about why you’re passionate about Denver Rescue Mission’s work.
- Checkout our Stories of Changed Lives for more stories you can share.
- Promote your fundraiser: Share your fundraiser on your other social media platforms and encourage others to share it.
These are just a few of the many ways you can help people experiencing homelessness by supporting the life-changing work of Denver Rescue Mission. Whether you’re volunteering your time, starting a fundraiser or even organizing a clothing or food drive, you’re making a real difference in people’s lives.
Thank you for partnering with us to serve those in need in our community.
