See how your compassion gave Daniel a fresh start…
Daniel was born the youngest of seven children, and his childhood was difficult. While there were family vacations and good memories, substance abuse was a constant presence. “My parents drank and did drugs around us. When you grow up in that environment, you don’t know that it’s not normal.”
At 17, Daniel lost his father to cancer, and his life took a turn for the worse. “That’s where my drug addiction just took off,” he remembers. What began with prescription painkillers eventually escalated into years of substance abuse, homelessness and incarceration. “This last time before I went to jail, I was living on the streets doing hard drugs.”
Facing the possibility of 25 years to life in prison, Daniel reached a breaking point. “I just realized, I can’t keep living like this… I was going to end up dead.” While in jail, Daniel turned to God. “I started asking Him for help, to help me fight my addiction.”
A judge believed Daniel could turn his life around, and instead of prison, he was sent to the Bay Area Rescue Mission.
“Everybody supported me, and everyone was going through the same type of thing.”
Daniel found more than shelter at the Rescue Mission. He found faith, family and a future. “They welcomed me with a warm meal,” Daniel remembers. And in our faith-based program, he began to see the change he had prayed for. “Building my relationship with God has been the biggest thing for me.”
Today, Daniel serves in the Rescue Mission’s culinary department, preparing meals for students and the community. “I believe that’s something I want to go to school for,” he says.
Because of you, neighbors like Daniel know that God loves them and they are worthy of a new beginning. Thank you for opening the door to hope and healing this summer! “This place helped me build a foundation. I was lost, but now I’m discovering who I am.”
To read this issue of Bay Area Hope, click here.
Help other people like Daniel…
Daniel’s story of hope and healing is inspiring. Our long-term recovery programs exist to help other men and women find healing. Will you help provide this help to others?