Candace is a SAHM to two beautiful daughters. Her love of saving money and finding great deals shows through at her blog, “Deal”ectible Mommies, where she shares money saving tips, deals and giveaways. Below, Candace introduces us to our first local charity, and it is my hope that we’d all invest in these local charities as well as the national and international ones to help make a difference this Christmas!

Recently, my 4 year old daughter and I were at the dinner table and found ourselves in a conversation about children who do not have enough to eat. She said, “Mom, I know! We can take this food and put it in a bag and take it to them”! I explained to her that we must think of another way to help, but also encouraged her giving spirit by bouncing ideas back and forth. I began to wonder where we would take this precious food, if it was an option.

That night I began to research local charities and organizations in an effort to find one that really impacted the community. A organization whose proceeds really went to the cause. Through my search, I found the Bakersfield Rescue Mission.

The Bakersfield Rescue Mission offers homeless intervention services, a Christian life training program, education and NA & AA programs, among others. Although I have donated to them throughout the years, I had not researched the charity like I was doing now. Here are a few wonderful points I found commendable about this great charity:

- Over 95% of funds go to the people in need

- The Mission never closes and it never turns newcomers away

- The Mission serves three meals a day everyday

- The Mission accepts everyone and deals with every problem and for as long as it takes for them to succeed

- The Mission has no religious requirements to receive its crisis services

I really felt this charity was in great need of our support. We have many homeless men, women and children in our area and I have witnessed this first hand. They all have a different story and although it’s easier to turn our heads, they are humans just as much as we are. They feel hurt the same way we do and I cannot imagine the strength it must take to be in their shoes.

After researching many charities and choosing the Bakersfield Rescue Mission, we decided that my daughter would begin a family/friend campaign called “Milla’s (Mia’s) Dime Drive”. She has asked fellow friends and family to help her collect dimes in a special dime bucket which she will then present to The Bakersfield Rescue Mission one week before Christmas. Not only is it helping The Bakersfield Rescue Mission but it’s also teaching her a valuable lesson of giving. That week became even more blessed when I was given the opportunity to partner with my fellow bloggers and help such great charities in need.

In summary, The Bakersfield’s Rescue Mission is our region’s most effective way to extend help to hurting people. You can visit The Mission and put a face to the homeless and witness these precious lives first hand. The Mission is doing the work that all great religious traditions commend and command. It provides services and solutions that our city and county urgently need. The Mission shelters the homeless, feed the hungry, care for the sick, help the poor, liberate the addicted, lift the discouraged, restore the broken, reach out to the prisoner, reconcile the alienated, stabilize the mentally ill, educate the drop-out, preach the Gospel, baptize believers, raise up leaders for the church, and selflessly serve those who have been beaten down by life’s circumstances or crushed by the consequences of their own rebellion or misguided choices.

Finally, the Mission needs significant support. The Mission has proven itself worthy of such support. They seek help from those who have been richly blessed with the resources and the heart to partner with them in the local work that meets local needs. If you are unable to give a donation of money, The Mission can use tangible items and you can view the list here. I hope you’ll consider partnering with us in supporting this giving charity.

To donate $1 to Bakersfield Rescue Mission to help give individuals and families in the California region a hand up out of poverty, click here. Please use “One Dollar Give” in the dedication portion of the donation form. For more information on how you can purchase a “Good Card” to help minimize transaction fees deducted from your donations, click here. After you’ve donated, come back and vote in the poll so that we can count donations!

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(Yes, the poll offers you the choice between “Yes.” and “Yes.” because I didn’t think we really needed to count the “No” answers, and the poll required two choices! Hey, it’s not a perfect system, but it’ll work!)