Helping the Homeless: New Life Center Hopes to Raise $1 Million for Giving Hearts Day

Volunteers from Touchmark at Harwood Groves served lunch for Valentine's Day

FARGO, N.D. — The New Life Center is serving up some love for Valentine’s Day, and they’ve also set an ambitious goal Giving Hearts Day.

The Center helps men who are homeless, and it’s served as a much–needed shelter for people like Mikel Davis.

“Couple weeks ago, it was really cold. 61 below with the wind chill, you could die out there,” he said.

He wound up at the Center and after losing his job and not being able to pay his rent. He’s been there since October.

“A lot of people out there are just one paycheck away from being in the same situation I’m in right now,” he said.

Money raised for Giving Hearts Day will go towards paying staff and a construction loan that was used for remodeling the building. The New Life Center has a goal of raising $1 million, which is their biggest goal yet.

The Center has space to shelter over 100 people at a time.

Volunteers from Touchmark at Harwood Groves served lunch for Valentine’s Day.

“It is truly a survival skill to be able to keep going, even though men are receiving services here, this safe stability platform, it’s still hard moving ahead,” Rob Swiers, executive director of the New Life Center, said.

He says instead of giving money to panhandlers, you can give them a hope kit, which has basic necessities and resources for help. That can be one step towards breaking down the barrier of “us versus them.”

“Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone has tragedy. When you complement the tragedy with their story, you find out they’re just like you. They’re just displaced,” volunteer Bruce Davidson said.

“We’re not all drunks and drug addicts and not willing to do anything,” Davis said.

The Center serves as stepping stone for those who want to get back on their own feet again.

“I just want to get stable employment, something that’s not part-time, a full-time job, at least minimum wage, I just want to work and get my own place and go back to what seemed normal,” Davis said.