We are so proud and excited to celebrate and contribute to the ministry of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission for our Giving Tree this year. The SBRM has served the county and city of Santa Barbara for over 50 years, providing emergency services and long-term recovery for the homeless and addicted. Because substance abuse has a sizable impact on our community and is often a contributing factor to homelessness, they focus 85% of their resources on recovery efforts. The Mission’s 12-month residential recovery program aims to bring individuals from decades of addiction, institutionalization, and homelessness back to sobriety, health, and wholeness.*

As part of their Christmas celebration, the SBRM hosts a giveaway where every homeless guest who attends their Christmas Feast receives at least one brand-new item. Many guests not only haven’t received something new in years, but they come to SBRM with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Something as simple as a sweatshirt can become a treasured gift!** One way that you can give this Advent season is to take an ornament from the tree in the sanctuary and purchase the item listed on the ornament. Then we ask that you bring all gifts unwrapped and place them under the tree by December 18th. All of the gifts purchased will either go to SBRM’s homeless guests for their Christmas celebration or to the men and women in the residential recovery programs. Thanks for partnering with us in blessing the SBRM this season.

*Verbage taken from SBRM website: https://sbrm.org/programs
**Verbage taken from SBRM website: https://sbrm.org/about-sbrm/wish-list