October 2009

Dear Supporters of Our Daily Rest,

Our Daily Rest, Oconee County’s first homeless shelter, has been open for two months since operations began on August 17th. Our population has gradually increased during these first few weeks and we now house 19 men, 6 women and 2 children, ages 7 and 13. So far we have received 45 people into our program with many of them already putting their lives back together. Our clients are working hard to achieve their goals, with 6 current residents finding jobs, 2 on waiting lists for government housing, and 3 in the process of qualifying for Social Security disability. 2 of our residents have also started on their GED classes, thanks to Seneca Presbyterian’s help with Adult Education fees.

Our daily routine begins at 6:30AM with clean up, breakfast and chores followed by inspection. The day’s activities then commence including work, job search, skills development, and social services. At 11:30AM lunch is served across the street at Our Daily Bread.

In the evening we have supper at 6:00PM usually prepared either by church volunteers or clients followed by programs at 7:00PM which include job search training, Bible studies, and devotionals. The doors are secured at 8:00PM and lights are out at 10:00PM.

Our facility has worked out extremely well. The careful planning and design of our building has made for smooth daily routines and operations. We are particularly proud of our commercial kitchen which makes food storage and preparation a breeze. This facility provides a safe, comfortable environment for clients. Also, our location in downtown Seneca puts us a couple of blocks away from the CAT Bus terminal thus providing free transportation to Seneca, Clemson and Anderson.

Many of our clients have been received warmly by the local churches and are attending worship on Sundays, and participating in spiritual programs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Local pastors are also visiting our facility and are leading spiritual programs here at Our Daily Rest.

We have received donations of food and clothing from many of the churches as well as other kind folks so that our pantry and clothes’ closets are in excellent shape.

However, we still need more financial support from the community to maintain our operations going forward. Our capital campaign is still $300,000 short of our goal which will support operations through 2010. We hope that Seneca Presbyterian and the Mission Evangelism Committee would continue to support this vital mission.

The best description of what we do here, is found in Mathew 25:35

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to me.”

This is what Our Daily Rest does everyday for the less fortunate of Oconee County.

Regards,

Steven Smith
Executive Director for Our Daily Rest

525 E. Main Street
Seneca SC. 29678

864-482-2040
OurDailyRest.org