Our pantry has some blank spots you can help fill.

Drop it off, have it delivered or create your own collection drive.

• Monetary donations can be mailed to: Cherry Street Mission Ministries, PO Box 9100 Street, Toledo, OH 43697 or you can donate online at www.cherrystreetmission.org/give. Monetary donations allow the organization to use their buying power to receive quantity discounts and purchase what is needed, just in time for the holiday.
• Shop with Amazon or Amazon Smiles to have your donations shipped directly to Cherry Street located at 1501 Monroe St. Toledo OH 43604.
  You can view the Amazon Wish List HERE.
• Drop off your donations to Cherry Street’s Life Revitalization Center  Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm.  Come to the 16^th Street side of the Life Revitalization Center located at 1501 Monroe St. Toledo OH 43604.

The City of Toledo, along with the rest of the world have experienced significant challenges over the past 6 months.  We are blessed with great leadership in our community.  THANK YOU to you and our community leaders for your unwavering leadership during these challenging times.

On behalf of Cherry Street Mission Ministries, we are committed to being a part of solution to rebuilding our community, one life at a time!  In addition to serving the homeless population, providing housing, education and support services, we want to be a bridge to other businesses that have struggled during unprecedented times.

We are excited to host the 2^nd annual Be the Bridge event on October 24^th, 2020.  Our hope is to have YOUR support and BE THE BRIDGE for the redevelopment of our community!  We plan on raising additional funds so that we can pay our vendors this year and BE THE BRIDGE to helping small businesses get back to business!

After much thoughtful consideration, Cherry Street Mission Ministries is hosting a digital event.  With your “tickets” you will receive an “Event in a Bag” chucked full of local goodies and $50 worth of Bridge Bucks you can spend at any of the participating vendors.  We invite you to a virtual event partnering with small local businesses to be the bridge for our community and those that remain homeless during the pandemic.  To guarantee delivery of your “Event in a Bag” purchase your ticket by 10.14.2020.

In these days of struggle, it’s easy to see the deep feelings that many of us have. To be pulled one way and another by emotion and our heavy hearts. And, it’s good to “feel all those feels”. God’s depth of intolerance for injustice is built into our image. It’s right and just to be horrified by innocent death and it’s appropriate to be disturbed by violence and destruction.

This is why we are hungry for change at Cherry Street. The kind of change that comes from living in a society that is made right by eliminating the stumbling blocks that many people must climb over. Also, the kind of change that comes from exposing people to fact that they can choose the life of freedom that can be lived in the Kingdom. The individuals that we have the honor to work beside every day in our ministry are bridging the gap between a system that breeds inequality to accessing resources and change in their lives. They are developing the tools to enter a new life, better prepared to navigate the road ahead. We strive to make not only their navigation clearer, but also to make the path; that each person has to navigate; smoother by intersecting with our community and systems in an effort to enact real lasting change. As a part of Cherry Street, you labor alongside us to make the high places low and the low places high.

I long for a day where our community has full freedom to live out their gifts and full freedom to live independently. Through God and The Word, may it be so.

Barb and her husband have been long time donors to Cherry Street.  They are keeping themselves busy but also isolated during the pandemic.  But even during these strange times, they have the care of others on their mind.  “We believe in God’s gift of Life. None of us gets to choose where or when or to whom we are born or what is in front of us. But we do get to choose and make choices along the way. Sometimes we are not always given the tools to make good choices.  Cherry Street is giving people the opportunity to use better tools to make better choices,” proclaimed Barb.

They have identified with 1st Thessalonians 4:1-12 as a life verse.

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.  . . . ¹¹and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, ¹²so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

As an encouragement to others Barb and Mark wished to share with those who are struggling a reminder to keep focus on the right things.  Barb said, “The virus has stripped away a lot of distractions to reveal brokenness in all of our lives. I have thought about things that other generations have gone through. I have thought about what our parents went through during the depression and the war years. All those years later my parents were still rationing and yet my mom had a terrific attitude. I think it’s important to remember that other people, other times, other places have gotten through troubling times by the grace of God. The grace of God is there for us every day. And it will continue to be there. It Is our Hope. We can look back on those stories and they will give us hope.”

For four and a half years, Ann Ebbert has been serving as a leader at Cherry Street.  The organization has announced that Ebbert will take over the role of CEO/President officially.  During the past several months, Ebbert has been fulfilling the duties and tasks needed for the organization and has been providing leadership to staff.  In this time, services have gone on without interruption and the organization has faced the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ann’s agreement to be the CEO brings peace to me and the other board members.  I know God is in these plans and timing.  Ann has demonstrated her ability to lead over the past 18 months during transition and I am confident in her leadership skills.  Furthermore, we have much confidence in the team she has assembled”, said Don Smucker, Board President.

Josh Rochon, board vice president shared his pleasure as well by saying, “The board and Ann share the same vision of the mission.  As Cherry Street explores innovative ways to address poverty, we believe Ann brings the perfect mix of vision, strategy and execution for the next chapter of our mission’s history.”

Ebbert brings decades of experience to Cherry Street from the secular world, church leadership and strong ministry skills.  Her appointment is a clear reflection of the organization’s philosophy: ready to deeply engage the community, providing greater access to services and innovating ways to work in the lives of others.  Ebbert has been with Cherry Street since 2015 and has a rich background in ministry.  Having worked in ministry and the health care industry, Ann brings a foundation of logistics, running a 24/365 care facility, business operations, administration, organizational structure, developing leadership in others and purposeful discipleship. Her experience in the health care industry has set her up well to work at Cherry Street.  Transitioning clients into a stable life are very similar processes.

Ann is originally from Bryan, OH and has lived in the region all her adult life.  She is married to Scott Ebbert for the past 31 years.  Together they are dog parents to Montie, a terrier.  Scott and Ann like to be outdoors, hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or gardening.  Ann always has a book she is reading and likes a diverse variety of book topics.

Board chair Don Smucker will be vacating his spot after 16 years of service.  Taking over the chairperson position will be Josh Rochon.  They have had a decades long friendship.  As Don departs and Josh takes over the role, they were asked to each reflect on the other person.

Reminiscing, Don has so many good memories over the 16 years he has served the Cherry Street board. “I think one of the most outstanding things that has been impressed on me; that I will miss the most; is truly seeing God’s hands at work in real time. When there is a need within the ministry; if we as a board and as a ministry have relied on God to provide and ask Him to provide and giving Him credit for His provision; God has been faithful at every turn- to honor those requests and to over provide our expectations”, Don shared.

Don is secure in the next leader on the board saying, “I have known Josh from his teenage years . . .  I know foundationally he is a very solid Christian.”  Following the vision that God has cast is a task Josh is well suited for according to Don. “One of the things I’ve learned about Josh over the years is that he takes ideas, thoughts and input from others.  Then he tries to anticipate what is needed in advance. He listens to the Lord for insight and waits for the spiritual leading to motivate and guide him,” said Don.

As Josh took on the role of vice-chair Don had been mentoring him along the way. Josh explained Don’s leadership style as a help to him personally and to the community.  “[Don] is extremely generous to people and always looking to help and serve people,’ said Josh. “I’ve seen him mentor people professionally and in his service at Cherry Street”.  Josh continued to share his admiration,” I am so grateful and thankful for our friendship. Grateful for a relationship together. I am thankful for the time he has spent with me. I do feel like there are big shoes to fill. Don has brought a lot of experience and expertise. And I really appreciate his spiritual leadership.”

The community can look forward to a continuance in the service to those who are the most vulnerable.  Josh laid out three items he is excited about at Cherry Street. “I think this is an exciting time. I look at the way we are delivering our services and I think that we are number one in the great privilege of the being able to stand on the shoulders of those who have stood before us. We can reach higher and we can do more because of the foundation that has been laid for us. Secondly, the vision has been cast and now we get to do to the work. I’m so grateful and thankful for a loyal community who has rallied around us and bought into the vision and the mission of Cherry Street. Third and certainly not least, I’m m so proud of our staff too. They bring a wealth of professionalism with great expertise.”

Cherry Street wishes to thank both men for their considerable time and passion through the years.