News
and Events
Latest Newsletter (4/30/2008)
2007 Summary of Assistance at the Mission (1/21/2008)
Latest Photos (1/19/2008)
Position Available! (3/26/2007)
Latest Photos for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Geno's Cafe and Women's Shelter:
Position available in the Electronics Dept at the Thrift Store. Please call 812-333-6360.
Food Pantry Needs
We are low on rice,
fruit,
jiffy cornbread mix,
jello,
canned milk,
cereal,
peanut butter,
dried beans,
spaghetti,
canned meats,
macaroni,
breakfast bars,
catsup,
mustard,
raisins,
hamburger helper and
tuna. (updated 9/8/06)
Men's Shelter Needs
Razors, shaving cream, laundry detergent,
paper products, bus passes, and stamps.
Geno’s Cafeteria/ Rescue Shelter Critical Needs
CEREAL!, Pasta, Mushrooms, Crackers, Pancake mix, Pancake syrup, Dish soap, Peas, BLEACH!, Stuffing and DRINK MIXES (Lemonade/ Kool-Aid etc…).
Helping Women with Children
As a regional hub for rural southern Indiana, Bloomington
attracts and serves people of all income levels,
which include poor and very poor women with children
seeking help and escape from violence and drug-filled
homes. These women are without family support. Local
providers estimate that only 25% of the currently
homeless population is being served. Large numbers
of women and children are living in precarious situations
in Bloomington and surrounding counties, but few
shelter spaces are available and no Christian service
is offered to them at all.
The Agape House Women's Shelter is currently under construction. The project is estimated to cost over $600,000. We have $515,000. Please consider making a special gift to complete building costs or making a pledge for 2008 for on-going support for this important new venture. The Mission receives no federal funding. Our support comes from area churches, businesses, organizations, individuals and the Thrift Store. Donate online or
contact us by phone or mail.
Food Pantry/Assistance outreach assists our guests staying at the Mission as well as others in the community. Some reasons for this outreach are:
- Unskilled and/or seasonal laborers whose jobs shrink or dry up during the cold, winter months.They and their families need a little help until warm weather breaks and work is more plentiful.
- Women (and a few men) who, because of family break-ups and divorce, suffer financial hardships-often severe and ongoing for a considerable time. It is not uncommon to have a mother with children come in who is in shock because her husband left her and the children unexpectedly with upcoming rents and utilities threatening further hardships.
- Older individuals and married couples trying to live on social security that may have an event such as an accident or fire that creates special needs for them. Sometimes, they simply do not have sufficient retirement income to meet expenses and needs at this time in their lives. (This is a significant group in size).
- People who are out of work or in between jobs, often due to illness, surgeries and accidents. Two accident victims in the first quarter of '05 were left permanently disables. They'd had good jobs.
- Individuals who are physically and/or mentally handicapped and may be waiting on SSI applications.
- Young couples who have not acquired enough education to earn a sufficient income to run a household-but have decided to marry or live together anyway.
Thank you for providing for the above group of individuals. Backstreet Food Pantry and Assistance Office is at our Thrift Store location at 1928 Arlington Rd. All donations can be dropped off at the Thrift Store. See location, phone and hours. Items we do not except as donations: Flash Version or PDF Version. |
Backstreet
Missions serves free
breakfast, lunch & dinner at 215
Westplex Park to
those in need in
the community. It
is called Geno's Cafeteria. See location, phone and hours. Help
is needed. You can distribute
cards with this information
to those in need. Print
out the cards using business
card stock: PDF
version & Publisher
version (requires
MS Publisher). We also
have a flyer that you
can use: PDF
version & Publisher
version (requires
MS Publisher). Please
keep this and the needed
items below in prayer!
"Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received
it, and it will be yours" - Mark 11:24
Many things such as
milk and eggs have short expiration dates that gift cards
are a great idea to keep us supplied when in need.
Needs & Fundraising Ideas
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Have a group that would like to make a difference by showing others you care?
Here are some everyday needs that your event can help and have fun with.
For current needs or help to plan your event call Linda Kelley at the office.
- Ziploc Bags: These are a constant need to break down large donation of
food for the food pantry and shelter. Large Gallon size are the most needed.
- Bleach: We use
a lot of bleach on bedding, clothing, cleaning and as a disinfectant
in the kitchen & dinning area.
- Office Supplies: Copy paper, #10 envelopes,
top this list. Even used toner cartridges. We exchange them for a ream
of paper. This is a great
idea for
your office area to help with no expense and good for the environment.
- Bus
Passes: Raise funds to help provide bus passes to those in need. Please
note that Backstreet gets a 50% discount so it is better
to
bring the funds
in and let Backstreet buy the passes.
- Breakfast Foods: Many breakfast
foods are perishables that are needed to feed the hungry gift cards work
very well for this. Other
foods
such as cereal
are always in demand.
- Key Food items: The following items are
some that we always seem to run low on in our pantry in order; Spaghetti
sauce, Spaghetti,
Cereal, Peanut
Butter,
Hamburger Helper, Canned meats, Ravioli, Mushrooms, Greens,
Asparagus, Noodles, Juices, Rice, and for critical lows check our monthly
need list.
Fresh fruits & vegetables
are always welcomed.
- Drug & Alcohol Test Kits: Our guests
are held to strict standards at the shelter and can become
costly. Funds should
be donated directly
to Backstreet
for these items and we will order through our source.
- New
King James Study Bibles: "Study" Bibles are needed in the New King James
version for the Abundant Life Program.
- Classroom Materials: Highlighters,
paper, notebooks, poster board, post-its, Christian magazines, clipboards,
dry erase
markers, Bible
covers and other
classroom materials are needed for the Abundant Life
Program.
- Tools: Hand tools and power tools are needed for all
maintenance areas and can be dropped off at the shelter
M-F 10-5. What's
in your garage?
- Special Needs and Services: For special
needs and services throughout the year please contact Linda Kelley at the office.
Backstreet accepts Secure Online Donations.
Volunteer Needs
Please call 333-1905 if you would like to help with any of these needs:
- Women in the day or evening hours and men during the daytime hours to help
in different areas of the store.
- Men to stay with the men at the mission on Sundays from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m.
and 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
-
Backup cook at 215 Westplex
Park.
-
Phone support at 215
Westplex Park anytime during business hours. See location, phone and hours.
-
Various
help at the 1928 Arlington Rd. Thrift Store during
business hours. See location, phone and hours.
- Volunteers are needed to help in the food pantry M-F. See location, phone and hours.
Help with meal home deliveries. Contact Linda Kelley.
 Backstreet T-shirts are available. Get Yours Today
at either of the Backstreet locations!
T-shirts are $12 white with a small Backstreet logo on
front. Back, shown in this photo, has "Will Work For Jesus" on it. Very good looking "Fruit of the Loom" shirts
with proceeds going to feed the hungry, shelter the
homeless, and provide Bibles to those in need.
To learn how youth groups
can help us by selling the t-shirts or
how your organization can earn money for their
cause, contact Linda Kelley at the office.
Other
Activities
- Contact Linda
Kelley for more information about the following:
- Thrift
Store
- Food
Pantry/Benevolence
- 2-3
supporting churches each month
of the year are being requested
to provide priority food items
for the Pantry. See above for
the latest list of priority
items. Food items are welcome
throughout the year, but this
will insure the needed items
will be there.
- Silent Auction at Monroe County Fair
- Contact Brian Oeding to help with the Backstreet Website
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