Rescue Mission Rebuilt

 As in many other communities, the Rescue Mission has been a staple in the community for years helping the poor have a hot meal and the homeless a bed in to sleep in. Here in the Youngstown area, the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley was in dire need of a new facility to help in their mission they have been providing since 1893. The old building while looking historically grand was even losing bricks from the structure! 

Above is a photo of the old facility, pulled from their Facebook page. Ground broke on construction of a new facility in fall of 2019 and finally opened this past week. I was able to attend the ribbon cutting and dedication on Friday as well as get a tour of the new facility. There was a wonderful turn out of community support at the event. 

Throughout the entire facility, the art work showed inspirational and Christian quotations. 

The facility was divided into two sides, a men's side and a side for women and families. On the men's side there was still the large capacity bunk rooms and while this still looks to be lacking in privacy, it is important to remember that the old facility housed 60 men in one room. 

There is also a missionary program that patrons can enroll in that would allow for more semi-private quarters as well. 

Throughout the men's side as well were sitting areas and the new luncheon area was absolutely amazing compared to the old facility. 

The women's side looked very similar in housing except for the rooms that allowed for families to remain together and a playroom for young children. 

Two more features this new facility boasts that are definitely going to help many in the community get back on their feet are the addition of a computer lab and an after-hours area. Previously, if someone came after hours in need, they would still be on the streets regardless of the weather until the facility opened again in the morning. Now there is a waiting facility area to help those in need come in out of the elements while they wait until morning. 

While the new facility was absolutely beautiful and much needed in so many ways, my favorite part of the new facility though was the placement of the Bible in the floor of various areas open to specific scriptures. 

Should you wish to donate or volunteer, contact the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley.

Ride on the Chatanooga

Always on the hunt to discover some new adventure or hidden attraction, I found a posting for open hours to ride a train in the heart of Youngstown's decaying steel mills. The thought intrigued me so one Sunday morning over the holiday weekend I am headed to the East side of Youngstown to the Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum for my very own train ride. 

I am not going to lie, on arrival it looked as decayed as the rest of the steel mill areas through the outskirts of Youngstown. I seriously was sitting in my car wondering what I had just drove myself into, unsure I was even at the right location due to lack of signage. As other vehicles began to pull in for the public hours, I realized I was in fact in the right place.

The museum was opened to preserve the heritage of the steel mill industry in the area. They had many relics available for show and preservation.

Now don't get me wrong, if it weren't for these men joining together this history may be lost to the future. However, we were visiting based on the train ride.... the area outside also was dedicated to preserving the steel mill industry and its railroad system. There were many areas on display to preserve this....

The next step was to actually board this train and take the ride... which I thought would be traveling through some of the shut down mill areas. The tracks were also every narrow, surprisingly narrow compared to those you would cross on the road in current use. The engineer explained that they were called Narrow Gauge tracks and in fact were only 24" across. 

The crowd who came on this open house Sunday all boarded the train and imagine all of our surprise when we chugged along forward about 150ft and then backwards the same 150ft of track three times! While this might give you a chuckle, as it did me, I am by no means downplaying the valiant effort of these men who banned together to preserve this piece of local history. The museum has only been in effect for less than a year and I truly look forward to their expansion in the coming years with more donations and funding. Besides.... where else in the city borders of Youngstown would you be able to hop on the back of a caboose for a photo op?

Top and shorts JCrew Factory, shoes Sperry