You helped us raise $20,000!

On Giving Heart’s Day, online contributions made to Northlands Rescue Mission through Giving Hearts Day were doubled up to $9,000.  With our matching donations, we raised $20,000.  

Northlands Rescue Mission is appreciates being selected by the Impact Foundation and Dakota Medical Foundation to participate in this opportunity and we invite you to give from the heart!

With your help, we raised a tremendous amount of funding to support our mission.

To help warm our hearts on Giving Hearts Day Northlands Rescue Mission partnered with Coffee Company on Columbia Road in Grand Forks. Please visit Sarah, the owner, at thank her and her staff for hosting all of us on  Valentine’s day.

Thank you to all our donors for helping us raise $20,000.  Together we are empowering men and women to fight hunger and homelessness in Jesus Name.

Dear Friend of the Mission,

Developing an estate plan is one of the most important decisions you can make when it
comes to protecting the legacy you’ve worked hard to build over the years. Like many Mission
friends and donors, you may be recognizing the need to ensure your farm or business is passed to the people you love and the charities you care about without the risk of losing it to pay taxes or the need to sell it to distribute it fairly among your beneficiaries.
Because the issues surrounding estate planning often seem complicated—sometimes even
overwhelming—we’ve found our Mission partners appreciate learning what tools and options are
available to them in a setting that’s comfortable and from professionals they can trust.
That’s why Northlands Rescue Mission invites you to attend a free estate planning seminar.
Conducted by the German Law Firm, this informative two-hour session delves into specific issues related to farmers, business owners and landowners and shows how you can achieve the outcomes you desire through an “enhanced” living trust.
You’ll discover strategies that may be applied to your particular situation so your estate can transfer quickly upon your death; save your family thousands of dollars in taxes, probate and attorney fees; and eliminate the potential of hard feelings among your loved ones and beneficiaries.

WITH an “Enhanced” Living Trust . . .

• You will avoid problems before you pass away if you are incapacitated.

• Your family will not need to sell the farm to pay federal estate taxes.

• Your children will have the distributions you intend without having to fight about it later.

• Your farm will transfer quickly and without conflict to your family upon your death.

• There will be no probate court fees, no probate attorney fees and no time commitment for your family to pay.

• If one or more of your children “sell” their portions of the farm, you can predetermine the conditions of the sale. Obstacles you may face without an “enhanced” living trust . . .

• Your farm/business may transfer to your family with time delays and unnecessary expenses upon your death.

• Your family may need to sell the farm/ business to pay federal estate taxes, and often these “estate sales” don’t bring top dollar.

• Your children could have disagreements over how to distribute your assets.

• You may have problems before you pass away if you are incapacitated.

• There is no privacy protection without a proper plan. Anyone can go to court and rummage through your private financial information.

• If one or more of your children “sell” their portion of the farm you have no control over the conditions of the sale. Most people I know have good intentions of providing financial security for their loved ones. Like many of them, maybe you’ve thought about looking into the details of an estate plan but just haven’t made the time.

The Mission wants to make it easy for you to take the first step through this free seminar. If
you attend one of the sessions below, you’ll also receive a free one-hour consultation with an
attorney at the German Law Firm with no obligation.

Seating is limited, so reserve your place today. Simply select the date and location that’s
best for you and call Heather at (701) 738-0060 or (800) 774-7576. You’re welcome to bring your
family and friends so they, too, can learn more about safeguarding their legacy.

You’ve worked hard all your life to preserve your estate for those you care about, so you
owe it to yourself and your family to make an informed decision. I know you’ll find this
opportunity beneficial, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Warm regards,
David M. Sena
Executive Director

Download our 2012 Winter Newsletter

Putting the Pieces Back Together

Tonya’s story of homlessness begins like many others. At 48, she lost her job and couldn’t find another. She applied for what seemed like hundreds. But a year went by and nothing panned out. She’d gone through all her savings and she was desperate.

A friend told her there were jobs in North Dakota. So she applied for one in Grand Forks and was hired over the phone. Now she needed to relocate right away – she was living in Georgia. But she had no money for a deposit or a long stay in a hotel, and she didn’t know anyone here in the city. She found Northlands Rescue Mission on the Internet, but was hesitant about coming to a homeless shelter.

“I called and talked to the staff before I came. I prayed about it and God comforted me>” She knew it was the right thing to do while she saved money to et her own place. “I felt comfortable because it was Christian organization.”

Not long after Tonya moved in, a heart condition lander her in the hospital and she lost her job. Her hopes for quickly becoming independent again were dashed. She was grateful she had a home here at the Mission while she regained her strength and slowly put the pieces of her life back together.

“Ever since I stepped into the Mission, I’ve been blessed,” Tonya says. “It’s a safe and comfortable place to live and they offer three meals a day. They gave me a sack lunch when I was working, and they even jump-started my car when it wouldn’t start!”

Recently Tonya’s disability assistance was approved, and she believes that’s due, in part, to our caseworker’s help with the paperwork. We also helped her find affordable housing and provided household items for her apartment.

“The Mission changed my entire life,” Tonya says today. “I wouldn’t have my apartment or furniture or an income if it wasn’t for them. And all the extra things like sack lunches and laundry detergent – all those pieces got me back on my feet.”

With your ongoing prayers and financial support – and God’s guidance – we’ll continue to empower men and women like Tonya to rebuild their broken lives, one piece at a time. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HEARTFELT GENEROSITY!

Published January 06, 2012, 03:59 PM

Despite mild winter, Northlands Rescue Mission busier than ever

Grand Forks homeless shelter appealing for donations to cover food, lodging costs in 2012

Around 120 people, mostly men, are staying in the shelter each night. That’s up from around 115 last winter. But the shelter’s executive director says it’s not completely unexpected because of influx of people from other states moving to North Dakota to look for a job or start a new life.

By: Ryan Johnson, Grand Forks Herald

A mild start to the winter has helped the Northlands Rescue Mission save some money on its heating bills.

But Executive Director David Sena said today that the homeless shelter in downtown Grand Forks is now busier, and more crowded, than it was during last year’s much colder, stormier winter.

“It’s actually gone up,” he said. “Right now, the last couple of nights we’ve averaged seven people in our dining room sleeping on mattresses because we’re on overflow.”

Around 120 people, mostly men, are staying in the shelter each night. That’s up from around 115 last winter.

But Sena said the development was not completely unexpected because of a recent trend that has been seen across North Dakota — an influx of people from other states moving here to look for a job or start a new life.

“There’s just a lot of transient movement among the homeless population right now,” he said.

Higher cost

Sena said the mission sees its numbers drop each summer because the warm weather makes it more likely that homeless residents, and visitors, will sleep in a vehicle or under an overpass rather than come to the shelter.

But that isn’t an option in January, even in the midst of one of the mildest winters on record.
“The numbers haven’t gone down with the weather at all,” he said. “We’ve actually seen more people coming in.”

Northlands Rescue Mission increased its annual “Mission of Hope” campaign late last year in an attempt to raise $600,000 — up 50 percent since 2010 because of an increase in the overall budget for 2012.

Sena said it costs more to accommodate the extra people, including the higher cost of food, supplies and other necessities. “Everything goes up,” he said.

Sena said the shelter is about $30,000 away from its fundraising goal and is trying to raise the full $600,000 by Jan. 31. About 80 percent of its income comes from donations from area residents, churches and businesses.

To make a donation or learn more about the mission, visit www.NorthlandsRescueMission.org.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send email to rjohnson@gfherald.com. Tags: northlands rescue missions, grand forks, gf and egf, updates, homelessness, news, shelters, economy, winter, jobs, oil

Download our Flyer

Northlands Rescue Mission’s Kids+ Program has joined forces with national hunger-relief organization Feeding America to meet the need of hungry kids when other resources are not available.  The Mission works closely with teachers and counselors from the Grand Forks School District to identify students in grades K through 5 who may not be getting the nutrition they need on the weekends or when classes aren’t in session.  You too can help support this program by donating the following much needed non-perishable food products:

*  Individual serving boxes and cups of dry cereal/Instant oatmeal

*  Canned meals such as Spaghetti O’s, Ravioli, Soups, etc.

*  Macaroni and Cheese/Easy Mac

*  Crackers, chips, pretzels (Gold Fish, Cheez-Its, plain Ritz, etc.)

*  Juice boxes/Cocoa Packets

*  Fruit  or vegetable cups

*  Fruit snacks/Pudding/Jell-O cups

Note: Due to the rise in peanut allergy cases, most schools now have peanut free campuses.  Please take care when shopping for any of these items to assure that they do not contain peanuts or other tree nuts. Thank you!

MEDIA ALERT
Local News

For Immediate Release

January 6, 2012

Contact: David Sena

Phone:  (701) 722-6600, ext. 200

Northlands Rescue Mission Receives Grant for Equipment

to Provide Computer Training for Residents Through Kick Start Lab

“We’re excited about what we believe our Kick Start Lab can do to help our residents achieve gainful employment and use technology to strengthen relationships with family members and others who can help them be successful in life.”

                                                                                                                        —David M. Sena

GRAND FORKS, N.D.—A grant from the Hal and Kathleen Gershman Family Foundation will help once-homeless guests at Northlands Rescue Mission re-enter the workforce and reconnect with family members through the use of today’s technology.  This “New Years gift” of $4,000 will be used to purchase four personal computers, a printer, digital cameras, mobile devices and desks for the Mission’s new Kick Start Lab.

“Many of the men and women in our care have limited ability to connect with potential employers and support networks including their families because they don’t know how to use tools like e-mail, online job sites and appropriate social media services.” explained Northlands Rescue Mission Executive Director David M. Sena.  “Those that do have the necessary skills have limited access to agencies that provide them.  While many of these services are offered at libraries or outside learning centers, our guests may not yet be comfortable in these kinds of social environments.  Through the Mission’s Kick Start Lab, they can learn at their own pace from people who care about them and are familiar with their strengths and challenges.”

The Mission’s Kick Start Lab, which opens in March, will be staffed by Mission volunteers who will train and supervise residents in skills including how to use a computer; navigate the internet; send and receive e-mail; complete online job applications; produce and send resumes and cover letters; upload photos and interact with social media.  Students will have access to equipment and personal assistance in the lab up to three one-hour time slots per day.

“Due to years of homelessness, unemployment, substance abuse and many other factors, these individuals haven’t had the opportunity to keep up with changing technology,” Sena said.  “Now they’re limited in their ability to compete for jobs, restore important relationships, build social contacts and simply have access to the daily information they need to live stable and independent lives.  We’re excited about what we believe our Kick Start Lab can do to help our residents achieve gainful employment and use technology to strengthen relationships with family members and others who can help them be successful in life.  We’re grateful to the Hal and Kathleen Gershman Family Foundation for their gift that has made the Lab possible.”

For more information on the Mission’s Kick Start Lab and volunteer opportunities, call David Sena at (701) 772-6600, ext. 200.

Northlands Rescue Mission is a Christian-based nonprofit ministry providing homeless men and women in 21 counties in North Dakota and Minnesota with shelter, meals, clothing, spiritual guidance and case management, all delivered in a safe environment, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.