GREAT FALLS — It's not unusual for employees of the Great Falls Rescue Mission to get tokens of appreciation from people they help. These can come in the form of cards or small gifts.
But one former disciple in the men’s shelter recovery program was so touched by the care and generosity he received a decade ago, that he decided to splurge for lunch for the whole rescue mission staff.
With soothing music in the background, a heaping helping of thanks was on the menu Wednesday for employees.
“Nothing like this has ever happened before to us. So it was a really nice way to have the employees realize the difference they make in people's lives,” said Great Falls Rescue Mission Executive Director Jim McCormick.
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A former resident, wishing to remain anonymous, who went through the program 10 years ago emailed McCormick and said he wanted to bless the employees of the mission.
“He wanted to pay it forward and bless the employees that are in the trenches every day of the week trying to make a difference in people's lives,” said McCormick. “And it made a difference in his. And he wanted to just say thank you to us for all that we do.”
The graduate’s idea was to buy lunch from one of Great Falls favorite restaurants and add a musical touch.
“So he contracted with Clark and Lewie’s to bring in a lunch,” said McCormick. “Then he also talked to someone who plays the harp, and she's from Havre and came down just to play music for us while we're having our lunch for our staff meeting.”
The mission offers recovery programs for families, women, and men through a multi phased biblically based program that concludes with helping people get back on their feet.
“Many times, if they've got an addiction, they don't have their I.D., they don't have a birth certificate, they don't have a driver's license or anything like that. So we work through all that with them,” said McCormick. “Many times, they've made bad choices when they were renting a property and they have bills that they have to pay. So, we work on that with them to try and get that caught up.”
Ten years later, an act of doing unto others comes full circle.
“Sometimes we get blessed and we get a meal out of the deal and that's not what we do it for. But it's just wonderful to have somebody recognize what the employees of this place do,” said McCormick.
