The Oakdale Rescue Mission, ORM, is once again ready to open its doors to the community.

It has been seven years since ORM first opened the doors at the 131 W. G St., Oakdale, home to help those in need. On Saturday, Sept. 13, ORM CEO Jonyce O’Neill, fellow board members and clients will host an Open House for the community at large as well as persons interested in learning more about their services.

The event will be hosted from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Throughout the Open House period, attendees will be treated to snacks, house tours and connection. At 2:30 p.m. personal testimonies from clients benefitting from ORM services will speak, as will O’Neill and Vice Chair/Food Coordinator, Ellie Hoekstra.

“I think there is a lot of people wondering what is happening, since Pamela has passed,” O’Neill shared, speaking of previous CEO Pamela Kelly who passed in May of 2024. “She was a huge force of nature with this. There are also people in Oakdale that don’t even know we’re here.”

O’Neill and Kelly first joined forces in 2011. At the time, O’Neill with the help of friends and area churches, was distributing meals to her “peeps” at various locations each Sunday. What began as “Hope for the Heart,” a small weekly outreach program, blossomed to ORM, a Christian based non-profit, thanks largely in part to the knowledge and dedication of Kelly.

“More and more people got involved and as more people got involved it got bigger and bigger and more friends started coming,” O’Neill said of feeling the need for a permanent location all those years ago.

She noted that through the Open House event, they hope to also educate the community on their services. She hopes to bring an increased awareness to the community on the services they offer to people, as opposed to animals, adding that some have confused them with an animal rescue organization.

Securing the West G Street location seven years ago, O’Neill describes it as a “God thing,” as well as a blessing. The expansive free-standing home located at the corner of West G Street and Church Avenue offers the ability for more than meals to be shared.

Six days a week, Sunday through Friday, the home is open for two hours offering meals, showers, laundry and mail services to any and every one in need.

From the four-month period of March to June 2025 alone, ORM served 2,083 meals, hosted 321 showers and offered laundry services for 92 clients. Having a house address also offers clients the opportunity to give a physical address for job applications, benefit checks and other important documentation like acquiring Social Security cards or Birth Certificates.

Through the services made available at ORM, clients have also been able to secure jobs, purchase a vehicle, leave abusive relationships as well as gain sobriety and find employment and permanent housing.

Yet none of this would be possible without their donors and volunteers.

“We have the same volunteers that have been doing it for years and we want to give them a break,” O’Neill shared, mentioning hopes that through the Open House they may secure additional volunteers as well as donors. “This is open to everybody. Bring a friend. If you’re a volunteer, if you serve, bring friends, relatives, family … anybody.”

As she looks to the future of the Oakdale Rescue Mission, her involvement and the potential to serve more, O’Neill lights up as she speaks of the place which means so much to her and so many others.

“This is all God. This is an amazing location,” she said of the stately home. “Everybody can get to it and we’ve done a really good job of not letting people loiter in the front yard.”

O’Neill is on site several days a week through her role as CEO.

“I love being here. I love serving. I love talking to them. I love the days when it’s not crazy busy and I can sit down and have conversations with them, because they’re like family,” she said of the clients that come to ORM. “I thoroughly enjoy the days that we’re out there teasing each other and talking, having a good time. Those are my favorite days, truly.”

For additional information on the Oakdale Rescue Mission, visit oakdalerescuemission.org; for donation information, e-mail oakdalerescuemission@outlook.com or mail checks to: Oakdale Rescue Mission, PO Box 1147, Oakdale, CA 95361. Calls may be directed to 209-322-3575.

The Sept. 13 Open House is open to all in the community.