Imagine waking up everyday in a nice comfortable bed to the smell of a wonderful breakfast. Now, imagine waking up freezing cold and to the awful smell of garbage. Most people in this world could imagine the first scenario better than the second. But for some, waking up cold is a daily occurrence. People around the world are starving and homeless, where every day is a fight for survival. Some of those people live right here in Antioch. There are many programs that help those in need, such as shelters that give people a place to sleep and food for them to eat. One program in particular that sticks out from all the rest is Open Arms Mission.

One of the many wonderful deeds Open Arms Mission does is provide non-perishable food items. Non-perishable food items are given out because they can last a long time without needing to be refrigerated. These items include canned goods such as corn, beans, green beans, carrots and soup. These canned goods are donated by the community and stores that may have overstocked. They also get these items from Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops who go around neighborhoods once a year collecting items. Open Arms also provides families with some of the small things in life, such as paper towels and other miscellaneous items.

Families with kids of all ages do not need to worry. Open Arms offers diapers for families with babies. They also give out toothbrushes, toothpaste, paper towels, toilet paper, deodorant and much more. This helps give families in need the ability to have proper hygiene and live a clean, healthy life.

Open Arms has a special program that is designed to help out kids who are in need of school supplies. They also have a program that puts together backpacks for kids when they go to school so they are equipped with all the necessary tools needed. The backpack contains pencils, pens, highlighters, crayons, colored pencils and markers. With everything that Open Arms does, they can get very busy and overwhelmed. Luckily, they have great volunteers to help keep operations running smooth.

Open Arms is full of volunteers who come and help by loading boxes into people’s cars. They make sure the back of the building is organized and work hard to make sure that the distribution of items are done correctly and efficiently.

Families can donate old toys to Open Arms. On Christmas day, Open Arms will give out those toys to families who may not be fortunate enough, so they can have a magical Christmas, too.

There are many great services Open Arms does for the community of Antioch and for the surrounding communities. Not a lot of people know how much they do for people in need. Open Arms helps change people’s lives on a daily basis. The people who work there do not get paid, but instead are rewarded with the happiness brought to those whom they have helped.