Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles served 134,699 meals in December

I am always impressed with these folks and this organization. Here is their December statistics report. It is pretty impressive to my way of thinking so I felt reposting it here may give others an idea of some of their work.  When one looks at the increase in numbers from December 2009 compared to December 2008 it is just one sign of the increase in homeless due to the economy.
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Here is part of our Statistics Report for December 2009 so you can see how many lives we touch with the help of our wonderful volunteers, donors, and sponsors!

Key December 2009 Stats (Compared to December 2008)

*URM= Union Rescue Mission
*WSP= Winter Shelters – Downtown, Glendale, Culver City, and West LA
*HG= Hope Gardens Family Center

Meals Served:

URM: 92,369       avg/day: 2980      6% increase
WSP: 39,548       avg/day: 1276 (no 2008 data)
HG: 10,800         avg/day: 348 (same)

Total: 134,699     avg/day: 4345


Nights of Shelter:

URM: 31,728      avg: 1023       43% increase
WSP: 15,397      avg: 497          (no 2008 data)
HG: 3,866           avg: 125          15% increase

Total: 50,991      avg: 1645

Children:

URM: 2767        avg: 89            33% increase
HG: 2229           avg: 72            28% increase
Total: 4996        avg: 161          31% increase

Project Restart Families*: avg: 15 families/night
*family defined as mother-father-child(ren) or single father-child(ren)

Quick Facts:

•It’s nearly impossible for whole families and single dads with children who are experiencing homelessness to find a place where they can stay together and receive the help they need.

We are caring for 15 of these precious families every night – most are experiencing homelessness for the very first time due to the economy.

$128.71 will help provide food, shelter and care for a family of 4 for one day.

$900.97 will help us care for one of our families for an entire week.

•Many who become trapped in homelessness have significant barriers to overcome before they can return to a productive life of their own. The longer one remains homeless, the greater the barriers become.
Union Rescue Mission has life transformation programs to serve the needs of men and women and families who want to break the cycle of homelessness for good.

$56.58 will help provide a day of care for one of the brave men or women who have entered our life transformation programs.

$396.06 will help provide a week of food, shelter and the training and counseling necessary for a successful and lasting transformation.

•From December 1st through the end of March, Union Rescue Mission provides shelter for an additional 600 people each night through our Winter Shelter Program. For some, the Winter Shelters provide the temporary assistance they need to get back on their feet and secure permanent housing of their own. For others, coming in out of the cold and interacting with one of the caring members of our staff is the first step in their journey towards life transformation.

$100.00 will help provide emergency services for a family of 3.

$ 257.60 will help provide an entire week of meals (dinner and a sack lunch for the next day) for 10 winter shelter guests.