In just two short months, the Rescue Mission will once again open its doors for our annual Thanksgiving Banquet—a day that brings warmth, dignity, and hope to our homeless and low-income neighbors. Last year, we served over 1,400 meals in just three hours, including deliveries to homeless camps where people were invited to leave the streets behind and come to the Mission for help. We served over 45,000 meals during the Thanksgiving Season, including family food boxes, so the working poor can celebrate with their loved ones at home. This year, we’re preparing to do even more.

The banquet is more than a meal. It’s a full day of care and connection. Guests will receive hot Thanksgiving dinners, warm clothing, hygiene products, showers, haircuts, crisis care, vaccines, and so much more. We are planning to offer professional haircuts with local churches providing vans and drivers to shuttle guests to and from the Mission. God-honoring music will fill the air, and our staff and volunteers will offer crisis care and compassion to those who need it most.

Most importantly, we invite our guests to consider joining our New Life Program—a pathway off the streets into faith, employment, and permanent housing. When someone chooses to take that step, we can truly say their restored hope began with a meal. One of our graduates, Steve, shared he was so hungry that he returned to the mission three times during the same Thanksgiving Banquet, because he felt so welcomed and cared for. Then, weeks later, Steve joined the New Life Program and today is working for a recovery program in California, to be close to his daughter and family.

In addition to our sit-down banquet, we’ll be distributing Thanksgiving Family Food Boxes to the working poor so they can celebrate at home with loved ones.

Here’s how you can help:

Give.  Call 801.746.1006, or visit RescueSaltLake.org.

Donate. We need turkeys, hams, warm clothes, winter boots, and more.

Volunteer. Contact our coordinator at Volunteer@RescueSaltLake.org or call 385-354-8165.

Let’s make this season unforgettable. Help us serve up hope, one plate at a time.