Friends At First Mesa

07/01/2024

We are incredibly grateful to the amazing congregation of St. Matthew United Methodist Church for their generous donation of bottled water! This incredible truckload gift of cases of water will be a lifesaver for the homeless populations we serve at our Cool Down Room.

Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 12-3 pm, we offer clothing, showers, a blessing bag and place to cool down for anyone in need. With the scorching summer heat here, staying hydrated is crucial. This water donation will ensure our visitors have access to this vital resource.

Thank you, St. Matthew UMC, for your compassion and commitment to helping those in our community who need it most. Your generosity will make a real difference in the lives of many!

04/26/2024

Yesterday’s official recap from General Conference

Find out what happened during the third day of the postponed 2020 General Conference!0:33 Worship0:54 Clothes as a form of witness1:29 Eurasian conferences e...

04/03/2024

At Friends@First, we're more than just a clothing closet or a shower. We're a community of believers who show love through action. Our hearts are full seeing the impact we make – a cool respite from the heat, a blessing bag, a listening ear.

Why do we serve? A multitude of reasons. Because kindness might be the answer someone desperately needs. Because we can be a blessing to others. Because serving is a way to live out our faith. When we serve in our neighborhood we can build a stronger community together.

Register to serve at FriendsAtFirst at FirstChurchofMesa.com/FriendsAtFirst

03/19/2024

A huge thanks to our LDS friends at Just Serve for the generous surprise donation for our blessing bag ministry this week! So far this year, we have handed out over 425 blessing bags to help feed those in need in our community! We are always happy to receive donations to help fill our blessing bags. If you would like to help with a donation, we are currently looking for the following items:
Fruit snacks
Pudding cups
Fruit cups
Chicken salad kits
Tuna salad kits
Cases of small Gatorade bottles
If you would prefer to help with a monetary donation, you can place a donation in the offering plate on Sundays and notate Friends@First on your donation.

11/29/2023

A huge shout out to Terry Blaker for putting his time and heart into fixing and painting the picnic table in front of the Outreach Center for our Friends@First clients!!! It was a wonderful surprise!! Thank you so very much for taking the time to bring joy to others!!

The Cool Down Room including the clothing closet, and shower program are open on Mondays and Thursdays from 12pm-3pm. Looking to get more involved? Check out: FirstChurchofMesa.com/FriendsAtFirst to register to become a volunteer, order from our Amazon Wishlist and more!

11/21/2023

Ready for Christmas? Friends@First is getting prepared for the holiday season by collecting art supplies and coloring books for guests to use while they are visiting the Cool Down Room. Our regular visitors have given us some feedback on how meaningful the coloring books and crossword puzzles have been during their time with Friends@First. Those that visit our program often do not have access to things like art supplies or artistic and creative outlets. Our Cool Down Room is designed to be a peaceful place of respite where our unhoused neighbors can feel safe and loved. These gifts of coloring books, colorful markers, pens, crossword and sudoku puzzles are so meaningful for our friends in need. All art supplies and coloring books will be kept at Friends@First for our guests to use while visiting the Cool Down Room.

The Cool Down Room including the clothing closet, and shower program are open on Mondays and Thursdays from 12pm-3pm. Looking to get more involved? Check out: FirstChurchofMesa.com/FriendsAtFirst to register to become a volunteer, order from our Amazon Wishlist and more!

11/13/2023

Looking for a Thanksgiving Food Box? Check out the Holiday Food Distribution at the ! On Monday November 20th and Weds December 20th the United Food Bank will be offering Holiday Food Boxes starting at 9 am.

Friends @ First Mesa will not be distributing holiday food boxes this season. Friends @ First provides all kinds of resources available for our unhoused neighbors and friends including the Cool Down Room, Showers, and the Adult and Children's Clothing Closet. We also have a Food Pantry available by appointment. The Cool Down Room is open Mondays and Thursdays from 12 pm until 3 pm. We require ID for services. Find out how you can support our outreach program at FirstChurchofMesa.com/FriendsAtFirst

11/07/2023

The end of Summer and the start of the Fall/Winter season has seen Friends@First busier than ever! Most cool down rooms and heat relief centers close down when the temperatures drop. We pride ourselves in staying open all year round to make sure that our neighbors on the street have somewhere to go to hang out for a few hours, get a shower, a change of clothes, and a blessing bag of food to take with them. Currently we are in need of new packs of white socks. We will also accept donations of colored socks or black socks but plain white socks of all lengths are in the highest demand.
Donations can be dropped off during office hours at FUMC Mesa (mon-thurs, 9 am-3 pm) or when the Cool Down Room is open (mon and thurs, 12 pm - 3 pm). Check out our website for our Amazon wishlist and volunteer registration at firstchurchofmesa.com/friendsAtFirst

10/10/2023

Thanks to the Missions Committee, low-income families at Save The Family will have a sweet and spooky Halloween this year!

We have donated candy and pumpkins for their upcoming Halloween festival. This will ensure that all children have a chance to trick-or-treat, enjoy the festivities, and express their creativity!

Who is Save The Family? From their website: “Established in 1988, Save the Family Foundation of Arizona is a leading provider of housing, case management and supportive services to more than 650 homeless and impoverished families annually throughout Maricopa County. We work to equip families to overcome underlying issues that lead to homelessness – ensuring stable homes, safe children and strong families because of our efforts. Join us today to help end family homelessness – volunteer, donate or advocate on behalf of those we serve. We appreciate your interest in Save the Family!”

To learn more about how you can support Save The Family and the families they serve, please visit savethefamily.org

08/10/2023

Friends@First is in need of water! With daily temperatures reaching over 115 degrees on a regular basis, water is our greatest asset in providing heat relief for our street friends and neighbors. We are currently accepting donations of cases of bottled water for our Cool Down Room.

Donations can be dropped off during office hours (mon-thurs, 9 am-3 pm)

or when the Cool Down Room is open (mon and thurs, 12 pm - 3 pm).

“For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” - Mark 9:41

07/20/2023

THANK YOU ASU! A huge thank you goes to ASU’s Clean Indoor Air Project for our free, brand new Corsi-Rosenthal Air Filters. These air filters will be placed in the church office, the cool down room and the clothing closet to filter out contaminants that may negatively affect the health of staff, volunteers and the vulnerable populations that visit our outreach center.

According to their website:

“The ASU Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (AIDE) team led by infectious disease epidemiologist Associate Professor Megan Jehn, identified an innovative DIY solution to clean indoor air (using four filters and a box fan) called the Corsi-Rosenthal (CR) box. The Team tested and deployed this solution across Arizona to slow COVID-19 transmission.

CR boxes have been shown to work as effectively as portable commercial HEPA filters at a fraction of the cost. These units improve indoor air quality and reduce exposure to virus particles by increasing indoor air filtration and ventilation. This simple hands-on public health intervention has an immediate impact on the health of our local community.”

Our Outreach Program including our cool down room, showers, and clothing closet is open from 12 pm - 3pm on Mondays and Thursdays located at 15 e 1st Ave Mesa AZ 85210.

Check out Firstchurchofmesa.com/FriendsAtFirst for more info on how to volunteer, what our current needs are and how you can get involved!

07/19/2023

Yesterday Phoenix broke the 18 day record of days over 110 degrees! It looks like we're on track to keep the heat streak going again today. For our street friends and neighbors FriendsAtFirst can be a lifesaving oasis when trying to escape the heat of the day. In our cool down room, FriendsAtFirst provides showers, a change of clothes, a blessing bag and a safe air conditioned space to escape the heat. We are currently in need of single serve or individually wrapped snacks, bottles of water and portable protein like tuna or chicken salad pouches. We also need volunteers! The cool down room is only open Mondays and Thursdays right now but our goal is to open for more days during the week. Serve your community by joining us in providing this life saving program. Let's Beat The Heat!
Check out our website and Amazon wishlist at firstchurchofmesa.com/friendsAtFirst