About Us
Areas of Oakland that we serve
Volunteer work at Alameda County Medical Center (Highland Campus) by one of our members led to the expansion of our services (initially in West Oakland). We began reaching the homeless located in the Fruitvale District not far from Highland Hospital, which stretches from the 880 Freeway near International Blvd. to the hills below Montclair. One of the local bakeries there started providing us with bread and pastries on a daily basis. A local church group donated blankets. A local market occasionally donated packaged snacks, like potato chips, as well as canned, boxed and frozen food. Since the fall of 2011 we’ve expanded to the downtown and Chinatown areas of Oakland.
Division of Tasks
The founder of Mission for the Homeless is the main person who does the person to person outreach on a nightly basis. One volunteer purchases the food prepared for the evening meals. Another purchases blankets, pays for food, and provides the station wagon for the nightly rounds.
A Shelter of Our Own
Ideally, however, we envision a shelter of our own in which to safe-harbor the needy and usher them on their way into more stable housing solutions. Many of the homeless would like to get off the street immediately, but don’t know how, and our person to person outreach helps guide them on their way. It is easy to become impatient when dealing with the homeless and that can be a problem. Some homeless people sense that impatience and refuse help. We take great pains to assure them of their own worth and dignity, patiently and respectfully.
The acquisition of a building in Oakland is a goal we will be working towards through donation of money to a capital campaign (the outright donation of a building itself would naturally be optimal). Currently, we solicit donations in front of local supermarkets and liquor stores, the owners of which are aware of and support our activities; recently we put up this website to solicit donations, and we hope to investigate other avenues of support in the near future.
Michael Meadows
Director
last modified: December 20, 2022
