2021 Newsletter: mARCH
03/31/2021
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. -Matthew 25:4
MEETING NEEDS
Even though our country is still in a pandemic, The Least of These Ministry has persevered and continued serving our unsheltered friends.
We had many cold nights in January and February and were blessed with the opportunity to provide motel rooms for 167 homeless friends. We are grateful for the many volunteers who treated our friends to dinner during their motel stays!
In addition, this year, we have purchased Greyhound bus tickets for three homeless friends in order to reunite them with a support system in another part of the country.
In other good news, we were recently blessed with the opportunity to relocate our ministry supplies and donations to a larger supply pantry space. We are beyond grateful for the opportunities this new space will provide!
We are SO thankful for the church groups and many individual members of this community that helped us move and organize this month. We are also grateful for the many others who have donated supplies and other items. We continue to be amazed by the the love and support of our TLOT Village!
Even though our country is still in a pandemic, The Least of These Ministry has persevered and continued serving our unsheltered friends.
We had many cold nights in January and February and were blessed with the opportunity to provide motel rooms for 167 homeless friends. We are grateful for the many volunteers who treated our friends to dinner during their motel stays!
In addition, this year, we have purchased Greyhound bus tickets for three homeless friends in order to reunite them with a support system in another part of the country.
In other good news, we were recently blessed with the opportunity to relocate our ministry supplies and donations to a larger supply pantry space. We are beyond grateful for the opportunities this new space will provide!
We are SO thankful for the church groups and many individual members of this community that helped us move and organize this month. We are also grateful for the many others who have donated supplies and other items. We continue to be amazed by the the love and support of our TLOT Village!
THIS IS WHY
In February, a TLOT volunteer found our friend Lisa (pictured on the right) sleeping on the concrete floor of a park bathroom.
Lisa had been lured away from her hometown to Roanoke by a man who ended up stealing her phone, money, and belongings. Since she was not from this area, she didn't know where to go or what to do. She had been without food and warm blankets for 3 days before our volunteer found her.
Fast forward 4 days when TLOT received a phone call from a woman in Oklahoma looking for her missing sister. She had reason to believe she was in Roanoke. The sister heard about TLOT from a local hospital when she called to see if her sister might be a patient. Through our community relations, the hospital gave her our number and we made the connection that our friend Lisa, the woman sleeping on the bathroom floor, was her sister! We returned to the park and located Lisa in the same bathroom and told her that her sister was looking for her. She burst into tears!
TLOT purchased a bus ticket for Lisa to be with her sister in Oklahoma. We were also able to give them the opportunity to talk over the phone before her journey home.
After their reunion, Lisa and her family shared their thoughts about this experience on Facebook:
"Thank you Dawn! I will never forget what you have done for me. God bless your ministry." -Lisa
"Dawn, I just wanted to thank you from all her family and friends. We were all so worried about her....it was truly a blessing that the hospital was able to connect me with you.....thank you so much." -Missy
"Thank you so much for getting my aunt home safely. You definitely are an amazing woman and amazing group. Thank you for saving my Aunt." -Amy
THIS is why we do what we do and we couldn't do it without the support of our amazing TLOT Village.
Thank YOU for being a part of our village!
In February, a TLOT volunteer found our friend Lisa (pictured on the right) sleeping on the concrete floor of a park bathroom.
Lisa had been lured away from her hometown to Roanoke by a man who ended up stealing her phone, money, and belongings. Since she was not from this area, she didn't know where to go or what to do. She had been without food and warm blankets for 3 days before our volunteer found her.
Fast forward 4 days when TLOT received a phone call from a woman in Oklahoma looking for her missing sister. She had reason to believe she was in Roanoke. The sister heard about TLOT from a local hospital when she called to see if her sister might be a patient. Through our community relations, the hospital gave her our number and we made the connection that our friend Lisa, the woman sleeping on the bathroom floor, was her sister! We returned to the park and located Lisa in the same bathroom and told her that her sister was looking for her. She burst into tears!
TLOT purchased a bus ticket for Lisa to be with her sister in Oklahoma. We were also able to give them the opportunity to talk over the phone before her journey home.
After their reunion, Lisa and her family shared their thoughts about this experience on Facebook:
"Thank you Dawn! I will never forget what you have done for me. God bless your ministry." -Lisa
"Dawn, I just wanted to thank you from all her family and friends. We were all so worried about her....it was truly a blessing that the hospital was able to connect me with you.....thank you so much." -Missy
"Thank you so much for getting my aunt home safely. You definitely are an amazing woman and amazing group. Thank you for saving my Aunt." -Amy
THIS is why we do what we do and we couldn't do it without the support of our amazing TLOT Village.
Thank YOU for being a part of our village!
DO THE HUSTLE
The fourth annual Hustle for the Homeless 5K and Hustle at Home Virtual 5K has been scheduled for May 22! Funds raised from this event will support TLOT's mission to fight homelessness in the Roanoke Valley. Participants desiring to be timed or be eligible for awards should register to attend the live event on May 22nd. All other participants are invited to register for our virtual event and can walk or run any time, any place between May 1 and May 22. Will you join us?!
The fourth annual Hustle for the Homeless 5K and Hustle at Home Virtual 5K has been scheduled for May 22! Funds raised from this event will support TLOT's mission to fight homelessness in the Roanoke Valley. Participants desiring to be timed or be eligible for awards should register to attend the live event on May 22nd. All other participants are invited to register for our virtual event and can walk or run any time, any place between May 1 and May 22. Will you join us?!
2021 THANKFUL THURSDAY Signups
There are still some available dates in 2021 for your group to be a part of Thankful Thursday! This is an opportunity for the community to provide and serve a meal for our unsheltered friends. If you would like to sign your group up to provide a meal, check out our SignUp Genius.
The continued support of the TLOT Village in the way of financial donations, purchases from the Amazon Wishlist, donated in kind items, volunteering, and prayer makes it possible for this ministry to make a positive difference for our unsheltered friends in the Roanoke Valley and for His Kingdom.
The Least of These Ministry, 602 Marshall Avenue, Roanoke, VA 24016
The Least of These Ministry, 602 Marshall Avenue, Roanoke, VA 24016