Frederick Rescue Mission

You look at a place and you know this is where Im meant to be, and thats where I am here, Valerie Moore, development coordinator at Frederick Rescue Mission (FRM), said on Wednesday, July 22. Valerie has been with the mission for eight years, working mainly in the donations and communications arms of the organization.

Frederick Rescue Mission began as a chemical recovery program in 1964 and has since expanded into a multi-dimensional rescue space. Frederick Rescue Mission hosts a faith house program for homeless women and children, a transitional housing program, grocery and hot meal distribution programs, a clothing program, and cold and hot weather shelters, with plans to even open a year-round day shelter.

Before the on-set of COVID-19, FRM served 2,000 families and individuals in their food distribution center and prepared 300 meals per day. The Mission now distributes pre-made food boxes of groceries and pre-packaged meals; however, they no longer require pre-registration to collect food, meaning the Mission has not recorded their exact numbers served in the past few months. While a spike in demand occurred early in the pandemic, it has since plateaued; Valerie expects, however, that demand will continue to rise after COVID-19 unemployment payments end on July 25.

Everything we do here is within Christs spirit, Valerie said, speaking to the role of faith in the Mission. While the Mission serves individuals of all faiths, many of their programs incorporate prayer throughout the day. Ultimately, she highlighted, We want you to really walk onto this campus and feel gods love, whether its from our staff, volunteers, or residents.

After not accepting applications for three months, FRM has once again started to accept applications for its residential programsa small but significant step in light of the ongoing pandemic. Those accepted to the program will be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined until deemed healthy enough to fully join their respective programs.

On July 23, the Frederick Rescue Mission received 1,175 gallons of milk from Balford Farms. The milk will be distributed throughout the Missions grocery and prepared meal programs, and will also be distributed to some 20 other food banks in the local area.