More than 250 walkers came out to support the Mission’s first ever “Walk a Mile in My Shoes!” event to raise awareness of the homeless across Northern Nevada.

The event, held in early March, attracted a wide variety of participants, from college students to dog walkers to community activists.

“We were stunned by the numbers,” said Rick Redding, the Mission’s executive director. “I was told we’d have about 100 or so, so I was guessing we’d get about half that. The end result was incredible. This community has got a huge heart and they showed it.”

Redding said demand for Mission services is increasing in the current economy. “It’s a growing problem,” he said. “More and more people are coming to us for service. Some are homeless or hurting for the first time.

“They don’t even know what’s out there to help them. They come into the Mission with a scared look and ask, ‘Can you help me?’ We’ll give them whatever we can, from food and shelter to clothing and other necessities. That’s why we’re here.”

Walkers at the “Walk a Mile” event began at Wingfield Park in downtown Reno and worked their way through a path off the main strip that the homeless travel every day. Participants – which included corporate-sponsored groups from Wal-Mart and Best Buy – concluded at the Mission, where walkers were given tours of the facility while learning more about Mission operations.

“It’s always an eye-opener for people,” Redding said of the tour. “Most people don’t realize the extent and magnitude of what we do for the city, from meals and clothes to shelter and recovery programs.

“Everyone always say the same thing: ‘I never knew.’ We tell them the more they help us the more we can help others. It’s a big job that takes all of us working together.”

The Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission announced on Dec. 19 that it has opened a new emergency cold weather shelter that can take 20 more men out of the severe elements.

With nightly temperatures plummeting below freezing, the Mission will put up to 20 mats on the floor of its dining room for men wishing to come out of the cold. Men will receive a hot shower, hot meal and a warm blanket for the night.

Rick Redding, Mission executive director, said the shelter will open only when temperatures are predicted to drop below 20 degrees or in severe inclement weather situations such as heavy snowfall. Tonight’s low is expected to reach 8 degrees.

“We see these men on the grounds with tarps and wet blankets. There is no way we can look the other way,” Redding said. “I wish we could do more, but opening up our dining room in extreme cold situations seemed the right thing to do.”

The Mission also operates an 18-bed homeless women’s shelter, a men’s 60-bed cold weather overflow shelter for the city and a 100-bed addiction recovery program.

The women’s shelter is full, but during cold weather during the day, women can come in out of the elements.

Redding said the Mission also will provide ski gloves and fresh blankets to all homeless men who want them.

With the economy in full recession, thousands of poor and hurting men, women and children flocked to the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission during the holiday season seeking help with food, clothing, shelter and other necessities.

The Mission served more than 25,000 meals between Thanksgiving and Christmas alone, while helping hundreds more with food assistance from its community pantry.

“We’re definitely seeing a spike in people seeking help,” said Rick Redding, executive director. “On one hand it breaks your heart to see so many hurting people and families. But on the other hand, we feel grateful that we’re in a position to help them. If we have something they need, we give it to them.”

With the help of 30 volunteers and the entire Reno Bighorns NBA basketball team, the Mission served more than 1,000 meals and gave away about 600 winter jackets and hundreds of knitted hats and scarves during its traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

“This is so wonderful,” said one young woman, holding her infant daughter as she ate her turkey dinner. “This makes me feel normal again, even if it’s just for a little while.”

The Mission also teamed up with LifeChurch of Reno to pass out about 100 frozen turkeys and side dishes to low-income families during the annual “Random Acts of Kindness” event.

Mission staff and volunteers are now gearing up to serve similar numbers during the Christmas dinner, which also features wrapped presents for children.

But while the holiday season is now a memory, Redding said the need continues on.

“Unfortunately, the need is there every single day,” he said. “Our work never stops.”

The newest Thrift Depot thrift store opened for savings on Sept. 11 at 5105 Sun Valley Blvd. in Sun Valley.

With over 5,000-square-feet of deals next to the Dollar Loan Center at First Avenue, the Mission’s new store is a treasure trove for bargain hunters looking for sales tax-free deals on furniture, appliances, electronics, name-brand clothing and other household items.

“We’ve wanted to come to Sun Valley for quite some time now,” said Rick Redding, the Mission’s executive director. “They need more shopping options and this is a great location.”

The Mission now operates six Thrift Depot locations in the area:

• Thrift Depot Kietzke, 630 Gentry Way (at Kietzke), Reno. 825-4424. 9:30-6:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.
• Thrift Depot Reno, 575 E. Fourth St. (at Elko), Reno. 786-4499. 9:30-6:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.
• Thrift Depot Sparks, 640 Greenbrae Dr., #160 (Greenbrae Shopping Center), Sparks. 331-5020. 9:30-6:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.
• Thrift Depot North Hills, 1075 North Hills Blvd. (Raley’s Shopping Center), Reno. 677-2266. 9:30-6:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.
• Thrift Depot Prater, 1450 E. Prater Way (Hacienda Plaza Shopping Center), Sparks. 331-5528. 9:30-6:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.
• Thrift Depot Sun Valley, 5105 Sun Valley Blvd., Ste. 200, Sun Valley (at First Avenue next to Dollar Loan Center). 674-6444. 9:30-6:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.

What do you get when you mix a group of Southern-drawl “church ladies” from Texas with a bunch of street-hardened recovering female addicts from Reno?

Changed lives.

That’s exactly what happened over five days recently when 19 women from Spark Ministry in Dallas traveled to Northern Nevada to love and serve recovering addicts and staff at the Reno-Sparks Gospel Mission.

Check out pictures of the event in our Photo Gallery Pages 3-4!

“We wanted to show these ladies God’s love,” said Molly Breitenfeld, founder and director of Spark Ministry.

They did.

There were the wild and crazy moments. Imagine street-tough women – some of them former prostitutes and meth addicts – laughing and giggling like school girls as they dipped their feet in the icy waters of Lake Tahoe.

Or sporting hula skirts and horsing around with pink flamingos in a public park. Or hollering and cheering as they watched each other strut their stuff in a talent contest.

Then there were the spiritual – almost surreal – images of women praying over other women. Of women crying as the Spark group washed their feet in love.

Of the woman fresh out of jail shaking as she shed her guilt and shame.

“It was the most inspiring, uplifting and Spirit-filled time of my life,” said Tammy Treadwell, the Mission’s women’s service coordinator. “It was a renewal of faith for me to have so many women praising the Lord. I mean really praising God.

“We weren’t in a church but in a house together. And we were rocking it down!”

Molly said the idea of Spark Ministry is to reach out to hurting women – and those who serve them – to provide a weekend of relaxation and refreshment outside of often confining church and mission walls. Each of the Spark women raised enough money to travel to Reno to fully fund the weekend for 20 Mission clients and 10 staff members.

“They do it out of love,” Molly said. “They ask for nothing in return except for the chance to bless others. And we end up getting blessed ourselves.”

Rebeckah Wallace, Mission dispatcher, said words can’t describe her experience. “It was the most incredible time of my life,” she said. “These ladies loved us through Christ. To feel that love – a true Christian love – will be with me the rest of my life.”

Tammy said the Mission women were abuzz for weeks. Better yet, she says she sees profound change in many of them.

The weekend, she says, seems to have restored an innocence stolen long ago by alcohol and drugs.

“They might be street tough, but they were like sweet, innocent girls that weekend,” Tammy said. “If you didn’t know their past, you couldn’t tell them apart from the other women.

“They’re still talking about the weekend they were loved by a bunch of women from Texas. They truly felt the love of Christ and understood the beauty and depth of God’s grace. They know without a doubt that whatever they go through in life, God loves them.”

In Honor of Loved Ones, the Following Have Graciously Given so that Others May Have:

IN HONOR OF…

James McCartin by Scott McCartin
Grandma Duke by Marlene Jones
Dr. William S. Fast by Mildred Fast
Jean Maggiorini by Joyce Leet
Steven B. Peters by Virginia B Peters
Benjamin Clayton Barton by Marianne Morgan
Nicole Brunell by Helen Pate
Jeanne Argall by Claud Argall
Jane Marfisi by Frank Marfisi
Dick Elmore by Win Elmore
Marie Alcorn by Myrna
Steve by Lucy Stoy
Sis Jeanie by Patricia Sweitzer
Frank D Sanborn Sr. by Frank D Sanborn Jr.
Brent Terry by Artie Shipstead
Laura L. Constantine by Laura J. Hansen
Neil C. Tindall by Robert J. Tindall
Laura Hudson by Maxine Swafford
Robert E McMillan by Duane & Janice Oakland
Patricia Anne Boyd by William T. Boyd
Leland M. Bennett by Richard L. Bennett
Jason Bowlin by Janice Corbelli
Evelyn Cour by Jean Thompson
Anna Ruth Liuengood by Brian & Shirley Mullins
Mother & Father by M.J. Huerta
Ken Compton by Debbie Compton
Marsha by Dad & Mom
Dorothy Strauss by Richard Strauss
Gladys Bent by Richard & Jennifer Todd
Kathleen Tretheway by Marshall Crawford
Rosemary Butschinger by Bob Butschinger
Rita Schroder by Torben Schroder
Mitchell Konsmo by Kevin Konsmo
Faust Cruz by Edith Pasha
Mabel Bryson by Mary Northam
Kimberly Ingram by Cindy Wagg
Rae N. Watson by K.G. Watson
Mary Grist by Cassandra Loya
Bonnie Leger by Arthur Leger
Pete Walters by Constance Walters
Alice Slevoigh by Pastor & Mrs. Hutson
Nevada Puliti-Archuleta by Robin Archuleta
James Vinson by Lucille Peterson
Fred Bydash by Caryl Bydash
Maggie Kuhn by Martha Clark
Kathy Serafini by Christine Burrows
Mark Cullen by Margarite Cullen
Mary Coyle by Jack P Coyle
Albert & Leona Coffey by Dean Rogers
Fran by Sally D.
Loretta Whistler by T. Whistler
Marcella Thiele by Dave & Deborah Escher
Lilly Walsh by Stan Clifton
Mike Pollock by Mr. B
Bette Anne Phillips by Kelli & Bruce Miller
Richard S. Frenzel by Noel M. Frenzel
Agnes Kelley by Tom & Linda
Roger Jerome Boise by Norma Jean Boise-Tripoli
Jesse A. Treau by Linda Stone
Veronica Cooper by Ronald J. Miller
Miles Minkler by Carol M. Smith
James Martin by Gary Martin
Carl, Ada & Terry by Carl & Loretta Fausett
Gerrie Gordon by Christine Gadda
Evelyn Welch by Rev & Mrs. Tallman
Troy J. Bible by Teresa M. Croy
Angeline Daniel by Maureen Thissen
Al Gayton by Helen Gayton
June M. Thayer by Robert W. Thayer
Alice Downer & Lpiros Anaslissatis by Mimi Wolfe

One of two new Thrift Depot thrift stores is now officially open for business at 1450 E. Prater Way in Sparks in the Hacienda Plaza Shopping Center (corner of Prater and Sparks Boulevard).

Like the other Thrift Depots, the new 3,500-square-foot store features new and used furniture, refrigerators, washers and dryers, televisions and other electronics, knick-knacks and plenty of excellent name brand clothing. It is located in Suites 105-106 next to Rigo’s Mexican restaurant. Phone number 775.331.5528.

The Mission will open another 5,000-square-foot store in July at 5105 Sun Valley Blvd. in Sun Valley. The additional stores will increase the Mission’s thrift store operations to six stores (see Contact for locations and hours).

Tammie Nevins, the Mission’s manager of thrift store operations, credited Luis Santoni, director of development, for working hard to establish partnerships with local businesses to supply the Mission with thousands of items for bargain shoppers.

“He gets it all,” she said. “Brand new furniture that’s on clearance or ones with slight blemishes. Hotels that are remodeling. Stores going out of business. Big retailers who want to help out.

“It’s incredible the quality and quantity of items we’re getting. We have things that nobody else has – and we haven’t even started our peak season with donations from the community. And, as we head into recession, we get more cost-conscious customers looking for bargains on items that they would normally pay full price.”

The Mission expanded its operating hours to 6 p.m. at all thrift stores in the Reno-Sparks area and is highlighting that it charges no sales tax in efforts to bring in more bargain-savvy customers.

All proceeds go to direct aid for the homeless and needy.