Father’s Day Cookout to Bring Families Together

(ALLENTOWN, PA) – The Allentown Rescue Mission will hold its Second Annual Date with Dad luncheon this Father’s Day, June 15, 2025. The father/child cookout will once again reunite fathers experiencing homelessness with their children for an afternoon of food and family bonding.

“Our men are training to become men of integrity. They make firm commitments and strive to better themselves and their relationships with their wives and children. This luncheon gives the men an opportunity to reconcile and start to mend their relationships within their families,” stated Heather Schweizer, Transformation Program Associate at the Allentown Rescue Mission.

Many men in crisis and experiencing homelessness are frequently overlooked as fathers. Forty-one percent of all men experiencing homelessness have children under the age of 18, according to Greendoors.org. Statistics regarding the social consequences of children living in a fatherless home and the trauma associated with parents being separated from children are devastating.

The Allentown Rescue Mission works tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate, and restore dads to their families every day. The Mission’s Transformation Program, an eight-week Christ-centered program, explores topics such as fatherhood responsibilities and second chances with family. The staff emphasizes the importance of family relationships and the positive effects of having a father present in the home to build stronger dads and families.

The Allentown Rescue Mission, a 501c3, 123 bed non-profit homeless shelter has been providing shelter to men experiencing homelessness since 1900. In addition to emergency shelter services (365 days a year), the Allentown Rescue Mission offers a residential life skills program, and transitional employment on the Clean Team Workforce that’s available for hire to the community. The Clean Team Workforce pays the men above PA state minimum wage– helping them save a nest egg to transition back into the community. In a typical year, the Allentown Rescue Mission provides shelter services for nearly 1,000 men and serves more than 60,000 meals to men in need.

To refer someone to the Allentown Rescue Mission for services or to learn ways you can help make a difference please visit www.allentownrescuemission.org

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Stefanie Appel