WHILE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BAKES THE HOMELESS ARE FRIED IN 100 DEGREE HEAT!

Live Love! Become a Servants of the Father of Mercy volunteer today. Leave a note in the comments box below or call Bro. Joseph at (310) 595-4175 to receive the Fall schedule.

May God bless all the Servants of the Father of Mercy and donors that made possible ice water, food and clothing deliveries to 1,000s of homeless from Los Angeles to Ventura, CA this past weekend . . . Enjoy the pics!

Francesco Carta

Maggie Balderas

Carmen Lozano

John Sanders Jones

Southern Wine Distributors

Santa Clara Church, Oxnard

St. Peter's Church, Los Angeles

Marty Seper and Steve

Irma Flug

Kevin Klier

Enrique Amezcua Yanira and Rebecca

Mary Rocha, Tony and Tony Jr.

Mary Rocha, Robert, Isabella and Eliana

Angela and Henry Chavez

Panera Bread, Ventura

Arlene Harris

Silvia Alfonso

Many, many more . . .

Fall 2016 Serve the Homeless Schedule to Print, Forward, Share, Paricipate!

September/October 2016 - Fall Team Schedule

PLEASE READ, EMAIL, SHARE, CARE & PARTICIPATE

Friday, September 30th, 6pm to 9pm, Youth and Family Night team Dinner, Prayer & Mass. Call Bro. Gary for information at (310) 595-4175.

Thursday, September 29th, Mass music choir practice at 6pm at our HQ in Ventura, CA.

Sunday, September 25th, October 2, 16 and 30th at 2pm to 4pm, volunteers join us for free lunch, homeless planning meeting and prayer.

The Bible: A text message of mercy! "Mini Retreat" Saturday, October 8th: Sr. Gloria Valdovinos, director of the Siena Prayer Center and Br. Gary Joseph, founder of the Servants of the Father of Mercy team up to present the first of 5 "mini retreats" for anyone that needs soul food, refreshment and maintenance of spirit. It's always the 2nd Saturday of the month beginning Saturday, October 8th - February 2017, 9am to 11am, Mass to follow. Bring your Bible, notepad and pen. Get wrapped up in the Scripture texts and discover one singular message all the way from Genesis to Revelation. Got questions? Call Bro. Joseph at (310) 595-4175. Register the morning of the retreat or RSVP in the comments. A donation to the Siena Prayer Center appreciated.

Saturday/Sunday, October 15th/16th Homeless StreetReach, Indio, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and Cathedral City.  October 16th meet at 7:30am - Holiday Inn, Palm Desert.

Sunday, October 23rd, join us at area Catholic Churches for “World Mission Sunday”, Bro. Gary Joseph and team will be giving the homilies on that day at all the Masses.

Friday, October 28th, 9:30am, make sack lunches for the homeless at our HQ in Ventura, CA, 1544 Morse Avenue, Suite A, Ventura, CA 93003.

Friday, October 28th, 6pm to 9pm, “Youth & Family Night” our “Halloween is Baaack Party” for family, children, big and little kids. Get ready for pizza, prizes and more!

Saturday, October 29th, Homeless StreetReach, Ventura and Los Angeles, meet at our HQ in Ventura, CA at 8:30am.

The Bible: A text message of mercy! "Mini Retreat"

Sr. Gloria Valdovinos, director of the Siena Prayer Center and Br. Gary Joseph, founder of the Servants of the Father of Mercy team up to present the first of 5 "mini retreats" for anyone that needs soul food, refreshment and maintenance of spirit. It's always the 2nd Saturday of the month beginning Saturday, October 8th - February 2017, 9am to 11am, Mass to follow. Bring your Bible, notepad and pen. Get wrapped up in the Scripture texts and discover one singular message all the way from Genesis to Revelation. Got questions? Call Bro. Joseph at (310) 595-4175. Register the morning of the retreat or RSVP in the comments. A donation to the Siena Prayer Center appreciated.

When?  Saturday, October 8, 2016

Time?  9am to 11am

Where?  1931 Poli Street, Ventura, CA 93001

WEEKEND DELIVERY OF ICE WATER TO THE DESERT HOMELESS LIVING IN 115 DEGREES F!

Homeless in Seattle

September 12, 2016

SEATTLE (AP) — A car went off a freeway ramp in Seattle on Monday morning, killing Walter Burton a 19-year-old man inside a tent at small homeless encampment, the Washington State Patrol said.

Hours after the crash, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray visited the scene along Interstate 5 and said the incident underscored the need to find safe shelter for hundreds who are living on the streets, the Seattle Times reported.

"I'm saddened by the loss of life at a homeless encampment near the U District," Murray said on social media Monday. "Seattle alone can't solve this crisis but we must try."

A driver left the off-ramp at the city's University District early Monday morning, went up a small hill in a grassy median between I-5 and the Northeast 50th Street exit and struck the tent and a tree, state Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson said. The man killed was identified Monday afternoon as Walter Burton, according to the state patrol. The driver, identified as 33-year-old Oscar Gutierrez de Jesus of Seattle, fled the scene but was arrested soon after for investigation of vehicular homicide.

The tent pitched in the grassy median along I-5 is among hundreds of unauthorized camps that have popped up on vacant land, along freeways and in neighborhoods throughout Seattle. The tents are familiar sights to drivers along I-5 in Seattle.

Like many cities, Seattle has been wrestling with how to deal with growing numbers of homeless people. A one-night census of homeless in January revealed a 19 percent spike in Seattle, the third annual increase in as many years. Last fall, Murray proclaimed a state of emergency and called on state and federal officials for support.

The city has also been wrestling with how to clean up unauthorized encampments, as it considers public safety concerns as well as how best to serve those living in the outside spaces.

The encampment where Monday's crash happened is on state transportation land. It's one of the more well-known areas where tents are pitched, and it was scheduled to be cleaned up in mid-October, state transportation spokeswoman Kris Olsen said.

In many cases after the cleanup, crews often find that the former residents move nearby or return a few days later or new people move in, Olsen said.

"It's a persistent problem, but the bottom line is our top priority is safety," she said. "While we're sympathetic to people experiencing homelessness, this morning's incident demonstrated that these areas are just not a safe place for any member of the public."

Since November, the city has conducted 441 sweeps of illegal homeless encampments. During that time, only 126 people received permanent housing or shelter services while outreach workers engaged with about 18,50 people.

The mayor has announced a new task force to review the city's policies on encampment sweeps. Several Seattle City Council members have proposed legislation to make changes as well.

Please print or forward the invitation below to your family and friends. Let's make it a holy Halloween for our children and neighbors and create Christian memories for them too!

I LIVE ALL ALONE. REMEMBER ME. I LIVE IN YOUR SICKBEDS AND WAIT FOR YOUR FOOTSTEPS. REMEMBER ME!

Yesterday afternoon the old folks and their caregivers in a local nursing home received a surprise piece of fall hand-delivered to them as they dined in their cafeteria. May God bless the children and families that made about 50 fall pinecone creations for these lonely souls. Lovingly crafted by Monica Rocha, Linda Scaramella, Tony Rocha, Kevin Klier, Vern Soto, Bro. Gary Joseph, Maggie Cervantes and many others. Yesterday, the delivery team was Francesco Carta and Maggie Balderas from Santa Clara Church, Oxnard, CA. God bless you each one and all for making so many old folks happy! Here are some pictures to enjoy and share . . .

Donate to the 80,000 + homeless served in Southern California since 2001 by Servants of the Father of Mercy - Just like Domino's Pizza, "We Deliver!" - Food, water, clothing, shoes, socks, hygiene kits, rosaries, loves, hugs, prayers and more from Orange County to Los Angeles, Ventura County, Indio, Palm Desert and Cathedral City, California. Donate to the 1,000s of dollars in truck maintenance, insurance and fuel costs online at http://servantsofthefather.org/donate_2_homeless or mail to Servants of the Father of Mercy, 1544 Morse Avenue, Suite A, Ventura, CA 93003.

Live love! Be a homeless volunteer in the California desert, Orange County, Los Angeles or Ventura areas. Contact a team leader on Facebook - Bro. Gary Joseph, Mark Burke or Barbara Rounds or post in the comments below.