2010-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

Greetings from sunny downtown New Orleans, the home of the 2009 Super Bowl Champs... Who dat? Why dat be the "New Orleans Saints!" Oh yeah, finally after 40 years and four presidents (Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. and Obama) our team has finally made us proud.

Since this is our first blog, it will be short and to the point. New Orleans had about 6,000 homeless prior to hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Today, almost five years later, the number of homeless in New Orleans has increased to over 19,000, which means our city has the highest per-capita number of homeless in the country... And here we sit, the New Orleans Mission, the largest private 501(c)3 non-profit service provider for the homeless in the city, a beakon of light amidst a massive darkness of despair. Established in 1989, we have grown to provide overnight emergency shelter for up to 150 homeless per night (over 300 on freeze nights... yes, it do get chilly here), transitional housing for up to 34 women and children, and a dayroom for whoever is inclined to seek air-conditioned shelter when it's hot (blazing hot) or when it's rainy or cold. If you'd like a detailed description of the New Orleans Mission and all that we do, please visit our website (www.neworleansmission.org). I think the two most relevant factors concerning our operations are (1) all of our services are completely 100% free, and (2) we couldn't do it without our faithful volunteers who come from far and wide to help.

Since homelessness is our concern, our future blogs will discuss that issue from the point of view of homeless people, and those who work with homeless people. My name is Ron Gonzales and I am the Executive Director of the mission, and affectionately referred to by my friends and staff as the big Kahuna... possibly because I'm a "big guy" who wears Hawaiian aloha shirts and comes from the Islands. My wife Linda, who is affectionately referred to as Pookers... possibly because she's as sweet and cute as a little Pookerbear, is our Director. She runs the mission and me, and has quite a bit of influence over our eight children and 22 grandchildren, the oldest of whom is our day chaplain, Joshua. Our goal is to be the greatest blessing we can be to the homeless, our staff, and the good people of New Orleans. For now... Aloha!

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2010-03-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

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THANKS AND GOD BLESS!