Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in need of donations as cold weather increases demand

The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission is working around the clock to house people on both sides of the valley due to colder temperatures.

“If this didn’t exist there would probably be a loss of life,” said Felicia Smith, a CVRM guest at the Indio campus and mother of three. “It’s made an impact on me and my family because we were sleeping in our car. It got taken and [the mission] has been more than generous,” she added.  

Scott Wolf, CVRM’s Development Director, says they housed 92 people at their Indio campus and 130 total across the valley. “We have nice comfortable mattresses for everybody. Blankets, pillow, and sheets to make sure that everybody gets comfortable,” he said. 

But with increased demand, the shelter needs the community’s help: “We need clothing, we need non-perishable food items, we need blankets, we need pillows, coats, jackets, scarfs, hats...everything that you could possibly imagine to help people in this inclement weather. We need it all,” said Wolf. 

Wolf says they’re expecting more guests than usual all week. “It’s very unmanageable out there on the streets for a lot of people. So they do seek shelter options,” he said.

Donations can be dropped off directly at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission located at 47470 Van Buren St. Indio, CA 92201.