Christmas Day at Union Gospel Mission

It's 1:20 pm on Christmas Day, and the snow is falling! (Can you make out the snowflakes on the picture taken in front of the Mission minutes ago?)

Today Union Gospel Mission is serving a meal and distributing clothing to those who are homeless or in need of a meal and companionship on Christmas Day.

As of 1:00 pm we had served 560 meals, and we are on our way to serving about 700 or so.

Here is the scene in Union Gospel Mission's dining hall, where a meal of ham, mashed potatoes, yams, dinner rolls, fruit and pie are served.

Volunteers distributed gifts of clothing, hygiene items and toys for children from our garage entrance. Thanks to adidas, we were able to hand out bags of new clothing to people in need.

A team of volunteers from Union Gospel Mission took to the streets to distribute bags of clothing and reach out to people in need on the street. They stopped to chat with and wish a Merry Christmas to the gentleman with the blue coat and beard. This volunteer team distributed socks, underwear and few plates of food to people they encountered on Burnside street near Union Gospel Mission.

We are very blessed this Christmas to share a meal with people who come to the Mission, the volunteers and the donors who have been so generous.

Merry Christmas!

Getting ready for a Merry Christmas

Christmas is nearly here. In the kitchen the LifeChange addiction recovery residents assigned to the kitchen- Amber, Mary, Lisa are preparing ham, stuffing, yams, mixed fruit, dinner rolls and pie. Union Gospel Mission along with about 200 volunteers will serve the food, and hand out clothing to people in need Christmas Day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at 15 NW Third Avenue. We anticipate serving as many as 700 meals. It's not too late to help, you can donate to feed people in need at http://www.ugmportland.org/donate.html

LifeChange recovery residents and Union Gospel Mission staff had an early Christmas party and retreat at the Oregon Coast. It was a great time of prayer, fellowship and some pretty zany fun.

For some reason, many of the pictures from our retreat featured people with something funny on their head:

LifeChange resident Willie sports a furry hat. Actually, this is sort of Willie's signature look this fall and winter- he has several of these hats.

Union Gospel Mission's LifeChange men's facilitator, Dave, has moose antler's on...(no, this isn't Dave's signature look)

In addition to a great time, outings and events for people in LifeChange help residents overcoming addiction learn to have fun without drugs and alcohol. The Christmas retreat was a welcome break for the LifeChange recovery community during the busy holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you adidas!

You might think from the hats that Santa's elves were at work, but actually, it was an awesome volunteer group from adidas. This is the second group that came to Union Gospel Mission with donations of clothing and hygiene items which will be handed out Christmas Day to Portland's homeless and needy.


The adidas team donated bags as well as clothing and hygiene items. A team of 60 people were here this morning assembling these gift bags, which will be distributed on Christmas Day. For some people, this gift bag is the only Christmas present they will receive.

The adidas team engineered an assembly line in the Mission dining area and quickly put together the gift bags, and labeled them and sorted them! Generous and efficient- who could ask for more?

What a blessing...thanks to the adidas team, people who are struggling will know that people care this Christmas.

It's not too late to help out- For the Christmas event, boneless hams, instant potatoes, and yams are still needed. Clothing and blankets are always welcome in this cold weather.

You can make a donation online at http://www.ugmportland.org/donate.html

Thank you adidas for spreading Christmas cheer!

Kickin' It- the impact of an Oregon "kicker" check

News reports indicate that Oregonians will be receive a very nice "kicker" check, and the average amount of the check is $612 dollars.

Some people are considering donating their kicker check to charities. If you were to select Union Gospel Mission as the beneficiary of your kicker check, this is the impact it would have:

With an average cost of $1.92 per meal, the average kicker check of $612 would purchase 318 meals for people who are homeless or needy. Every weekday, Union Gospel Mission hands out sack lunches at 6:30 am, and every weekday evening, Union Gospel Mission provides a hot meal and a chapel service.

A donation of a kicker check can go a long way in helping someone who is seeking to turn their lives around in Union Gospel Mission's LifeChange addiction recovery program. Many who are in LifeChange were long-term addicts, involved with meth and other destructive drugs. Some were in and out of jail, living on the streets, and their lives turned into a nightmare. When they came to LifeChange, they found a second chance and a way out.

This week LifeChange welcomed two new members, two people who are choosing to break away from addiction and a destructive lifestyle. Anyone who would like to donate their kicker check to support LifeChange would be helping these two residents and other LifeChange members on the road to recovery and a new life.

If you would like to learn more about Union Gospel Mission and LifeChange, check out our website, www.ugmportland.org or give us a call at 503 -274-4483.