Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories profiling area charity organizations.
Staff writer
For 26 years, the Lighthouse Mission has used charitable donations to sustain community members who may otherwise have no options. According to Executive Director Richard Gomez, the mission’s needs have grown but the donor base is becoming smaller.
“… We’ve had a lot of donor support through the years, but a lot of our donors have passed away or moved away, so a lot of our support has diminished,” Gomez said. “To continue to operate these programs throughout the whole year, we are asking the community to think about the Lighthouse Mission in their end-of-year and New Year giving.”
The nonprofit runs several programs every day of the year to address the needs of the impoverished in the community, including a soup kitchen, clothing bank, homeless shelter and recovery programs. To date this year the kitchen served 43,000 meals.
“Feeding an average of 3,700 meals a month means our food pantry needs to be replenished quite often,” wrote Susan Armijo, the Lighthouse Mission Kitchen Manager. “This replenishing is made possible as a result of the financial gifts and food donations of our precious partners.”
The mission’s homeless shelter provides an emergency refuge for adults and children. In September, the Lighthouse Mission provided 742 nights of shelter for members of the community who had nowhere else to go, according to a Lighthouse newsletter.
The Lighthouse Mission also offers a six-month residential drug and alcohol recovery program for disadvantaged individuals in the community.
“People who have stayed in our shelter, eaten in our kitchens and come to us for clothing, we’ve seen their lives get better,” Gomez said. “People who have gone through our recovery programs were once trapped by drugs, and now they are productive, working citizens.”
The Lighthouse Mission is a 501(c)(3) organization, so donors will receive a federal income tax deduction, according to the newsletter. For donations sent before Dec. 31, the mission will send out donation receipts prior to Jan. 15.
“Your help is vital, and your help is much appreciated,” Gomez said.
