LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – When brothers Richard and Robert Myers first founded The Mission 10 years ago, their ultimate goal was to serve the most underserved part of the homeless population – single, able-bodied adults without children.
They have now served a multitude of people in need and continue to do so daily.
The catch: they are almost entirely funded by the community, not the government. Because of this, they regularly host fundraisers to help the local homeless community.
“My brother and I come from very meager means, and we were the first two in our family to have a college education and buy a house,” Executive Director Richard Myers said. “We were always poor growing up. From the time we were little kids, we felt led to help folks that are in need. Both of us are Christians, and we really wanted to spread the Gospel. This seemed to be the perfect way to do it in a practical manner. We seek to help people get off of the street and away from addiction. Getting to see lives that are being changed is very rewarding.”
The Mission is made up of two distinct parts/buildings: the Steve L. Kessler Center and the Robert E. Myers Center.
The Kessler Center was graciously donated by Renee Kessler in 2018 in the name of her late husband Steve L. Kessler and serves as the location of their New Beginnings Program, which is where they house their residents.
The Myers Center was initially funded by the community through a GoFundMe campaign that raised an impressive $200,000 and serves as their Headquarters where they carry out their day-to-day operations such as life skills training and classes, a food pantry, a chapel, and counseling services.
For the last 18 months, most donated funds have been going towards rehabilitating the headquarters facility. Due to strict allocation procedures, The Mission’s operational funds have been running low.
These cover the costs of running the New Beginnings program, such as gas for the van, trash pickup, and any other operational needs that the Kessler Center has from day to day. Due to this, they are currently running a 15-day challenge to raise $20,000 solely for the aforementioned operational expenses.
The official end date for the fundraiser is November 1st, 2022. To donate, please visit their website here.
If virtual fundraisers aren’t for you, The Mission also currently needs volunteers to sign up for their daily meal train.
For more information on that, please visit the Meal Train website here.
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