Santa Barbara Rescue Mission Hosts Fourth of July Barbeque For Hundreds of People

The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission held its nine annual Fourth of July Carnival and Barbeque Dinner for more than 300 men, women and children in need on Monday.

“It’s tough to be homeless any day of the year, but the holidays can be particularly difficult for people who have no homes or no place to go,” said Rolf Geyling, the president of the Rescue Mission.

The Rescue Mission is the only local agency providing summer overnight shelter to the homeless, along with other emergency services and recovery programs.

Rescue Mission guests were able to enjoy food, games and entertainment thanks to volunteers, donors and staff members.

“We’re so grateful to our donors, our volunteers and our staffs who create this special day and his celebration for anybody who needs to or anybody who wants to join us,” said Geyling.

In 2015, the Rescue Mission provided 145,078 meals and 54,239 safe nights of shelter for people who didn’t have anywhere else to turn to.

“Coming here to the Rescue Mission, I think is a very wonderful thing. Also too, Santa Barbara is stepping up to the plate and realizing that we in fact do have a homeless population and I can’t say enough about the staff here,” said Edward Barber, an occasional guest at the mission.

The mission provides free holiday meals for guests in hopes of making them feel like they are part of a family.

For more information on the mission or how to help, you can visit the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission’s website.