A recent grant from the Todd Barajas Legacy Fund via Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) is a welcome boost of support for the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission (CVRM)
Scott Wolf, the nonprofit’s Development Director, said CVRM greatly appreciates the impact of the fund and how the grant will filter into the mix of the many services and initiatives it provides.
“We are extremely grateful for the support,” Wolf said. “We are an organization that serves thousands and thousands of people who are unhoused or in danger of being unhoused, or at-risk and food-insecure. People come to us from all walks of life—everything from abuse, neglect, human trafficking, addiction, mental health issues, and more.
“This year we’re celebrating our 55th anniversary, and we can’t do what we do without everybody in the community supporting us,” he added.
To be sure. CVRM has long been providing vital resources in the region.
Launched in 1971 after a rise in individuals experiencing homelessness in the region, faith and business leaders joined forces. With support from Union Rescue Mission of Los Angeles, they purchased property in what was then known as the Carver Tract, an unincorporated community in Riverside County.
That 1940s-era meeting hall soon transformed into a soup kitchen, then a men’s shelter. The mid-1980s saw a rise in homeless women and families, which led the faith-based nonprofit to purchase and revamp a nightclub next door, creating a safer shelter for mothers and children.
That expansion included a new kitchen, dining room, walk-in cold storage, and a second-story addition for administrative and program space.
CVRM successfully facilitates recovery and self-sufficiency for individuals by offering food, shelter, basic needs, and various forms of emotional support and encouragement.
To celebrate its 55th-year milestone, the nonprofit is hosting an anniversary gala at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the Cahuilla Ballroom at Agua Caliente Resort and Casino Rancho Mirage.
Brad Kinney is the master of ceremonies for the event, which begins with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails before dining, program entertainment, and dancing kick in. (Visit CVRM’s website for more details.)
“The rescue mission is about two words: recovery and hope,” Wolf said. “It gives all of our clients’ time to rebuild spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. We’re here to help them help themselves, mostly by enabling them to acquire all the skills and tools necessary for success when they transition back into independent living.
“So many of our clients come when they’re at rock bottom,” he added. “We see them at their worst, but we give them a chance. We give them a venue or an environment that’s safe. We treat everybody with dignity, compassion, grace, and faith. It’s an opportunity to totally rebuild their lives from the ground up.”
Street outreach and a program called Rapid Housing also come into play. The latter assists the homeless community in the region and the surrounding area by providing housing intervention and other supportive services.
Daily meal services are factored in. CVRM serves more than 30,000 meals each month—beginning with two daily hot meals for the public, three for residents. Volunteers are encouraged to reach out.
For Wolf, this work is deeply personal. He’s worked with the organization for more than 10 years, but it is what happened long before that which influences the impact he and his team make today.
“I came to the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission as a client,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know that. This place literally saved my life. I just happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. And I got a part-time job here right after I graduated. Then I worked my way up and through the organization. Now, I’m at the director level.
“A lot of people don’t realize that so many people need help,” he added. “Nobody’s more different than anybody else. We’re all the same. We’re all experiencing trauma. We’re all experiencing a really, really bad time in our lives.”
To that end, CVRM strives to take care of people’s varied needs.
“We just have people here that care enough to ask those in need to be here,” Wolf added. “And that changes everything. The most rewarding thing about my job is having the ability to be part of a team that allows me to do for all the people that came after me… the same thing that people did for me. I’m a part of that process. And it just keeps going and going and going.”
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, March, 2026.
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