Hope Delivered Through Search + Rescue

Seattle's Union Gospel Mission - January 15 2026

You’re changing lives by showing you care

Doug is one of those people you can’t help but smile around. He carries contagious joy and a love for life. And he shares it wherever he goes.

For over two years, Doug has faithfully volunteered with our Search + Rescue teams. So far, he’s logged over 650 hours of service!

On many rainy, winter days, Doug can be found joining Search + Rescue teams in delivering lifesaving essentials to our homeless neighbors. He’s seen how much good a simple cup of hot cocoa, a nutritious snack, and a heartfelt prayer can do for someone who’s at their lowest.

“God loves our homeless neighbors. He cares about them,” Doug shares with real passion. “And we should too.”

It’s a message we all need to remember. And it never ceases to amaze Doug how open men and women on the street are to learning more about Jesus. “Most of them don’t know much about Christianity. But many have been very receptive to the gospel.”

As Doug and everyone on our Search + Rescue teams can attest: our homeless neighbors are hungry for spiritual truth and ripe for the harvest.

As relationships are built and deepened, men and women are finding hope and coming to believe they’re cared for by God, by volunteers like Doug, and by giving partners like you.

Thank you for your continued generosity and faithful support of the Mission that’s changing lives!

Hungry, hurting homeless neighbors are facing the hardships of our chilling, winter streets. That’s why we don’t wait for people to come to us. We go to the darkest places of the greater Seattle area to deliver lifesaving supplies and care to men, women, and children.

Our Search + Rescue teams head out both day and night. We look for those who are homeless. We get to know their names and listen to their stories.

Every $16.85 you give will deliver a Winter Survival Kit with lifesaving essentials and an invitation to find shelter from the storms AND hope at the Mission.

FRONTLINE STORY FROM SEARCH + RESCUE

A few months ago, Jamie stayed at our Women and Children’s Shelter for a single night. She left suddenly in the morning.

Recently, our Search + Rescue teams were reaching out on the streets. Jamie dashed up to one of our teams with tears and a desperate look in her eyes. She asked if she could come in for shelter. But first, she had to “take care of something” regarding a man nearby.

YOU’RE GIVING SHELTER AND SAFETY

Jamie was clearly terrified. We felt prompted to share how much Jesus loves and cares for her. She immediately started crying and replied, “I want that.”

Then, Jamie shared the man standing nearby was pressuring her for sexual favors in exchange for $20 worth of goods. That’s when we became determined to ensure Jamie’s safety. We offered to sneak her into our van under the pretense she was looking at clothes. Jamie agreed.

YOU’RE PROVIDING A PATH OFF THE STREETS

We quickly got Jamie into our van and brought her to our Women and Children’s Shelter. She was met with a welcoming smile and was encouraged to shower and find clean clothes. A peaceful expression flooded Jamie’s face as she realized she’d have a warm meal and a safe bed to sleep in that night.

Now, Jamie’s receiving care and case management to find a new life off the streets. Praise God for protecting Jamie and filling her with hope through His love!

January is the hardest month for our homeless neighbors. By mid-month, the sun is setting around 4:30 p.m. Then, it’s not rising again until close to 8:00 a.m.

This season is dark, rainy, and cold. When a man or woman on the streets feels despair, their future looks bleak. And then, a sense of hopelessness is only intensified.

Yet, just as the sun rises with each new day, your gift of a Winter Survival Kit sparks something new. You give the faint flickers of hope that someone cares — that you care. That you believe in tomorrows. And in fresh starts.

Though the nights are long and dark, with each Winter Survival Kit you deliver, you’re showing a homeless neighbor that God’s love is still shining.

As you fan hope into flame, men and women on our streets come to believe that tomorrow holds something good. At Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, they can find shelter and wake up to a fresh start. They will find brighter days ahead. Thank you for rekindling hope through your support this winter.

Winter is deadly for a homeless neighbor on our streets. Nights that drop below freezing — and mornings of waking up to the cold — place the life of a homeless neighbor dangerously at risk.

Your gift now will send our Search + Rescue teams throughout the greater Seattle area looking for anyone who’s hungry and hurting.

Every $16.85 you give will deliver a Winter Survival Kit including items like blankets, coats, hats, dry socks, hot cocoa, nutritious snacks, and an offer of prayer.

With each Winter Survival Kit you deliver, you’ll also bring an invitation for a homeless neighbor to find shelter from the storm and safety inside Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.

Make your gift into your first monthly gift! You’ll become the Lifeline our city needs. You’ll shine God’s love into its darkest corners — today and in the months ahead. But even if you can’t give monthly, your single gift will make a lifesaving difference!

Hope Delivered Through Search + Rescue

President's message | Help save lives this winter | Impact

You’re changing lives by showing you care

FRONTLINE STORY FROM SEARCH + RESCUE

YOU’RE GIVING SHELTER AND SAFETY

YOU’RE PROVIDING A PATH OFF THE STREETS

President's message

Help save a life with every $16.85

Make this into your first monthly gift!

Your gift makes an impact

31,601

Search + Rescue blankets distributed

941,962

meals provided

177,757

nights of shelter

2,585

legal consultation hours

78%

of graduates from our Recovery Program are still sober two years after graduation