Throughout the month of July, 2021 the Shine City Project team volunteered at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission every weekend. Five to ten Shine City volunteers gathered for five Saturdays to help with either dinner service, meal packing, or lunch preparation and service.
The Las Vegas Rescue Mission has been helping those in need for over 50 years by offering food, shelter, addiction recovery, and spiritual support. Started by a pastor and six businessmen who received a calling to help those who are homeless and hungry, the Mission began as a small storefront building that included a chapel, kitchen, and shelter. Today, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission is a campus covering two city blocks in Downtown Las Vegas and helping hundreds daily.
Reflecting back on the experience, Kinesha, a Shine City volunteer, shared, "When serving food to anyone who is less fortunate than ourselves, it's so important to keep our hearts and attitudes in a humble space. We hope that what we're offering is not only food, but love as well. Those who have the least can often sense the heart and sincerity behind what we give. Let all that we do be done in love!"
After volunteering, the group would often head over to the Harrison House. Just a minute drive from the Rescue Mission in the Historic Westside, this historic home hosted black entertainers and travelers, such as Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey and Sammy Davis Jr. back when segregation laws didn’t allow them to stay in Las Vegas Hotels.
The volunteers would meet with Katherine Duncan, the Founding President of the Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce, as well as the current owner and resident of Harrison House, and friends of the Harrison house to share a meal together and discuss many topics, such as racism, the homeless population, the education system, and things affecting the community and ways to improve it. View Photos