Group aimed at helping homeless changes name to reflect its mission

Nonprofit in need of help

The Texarkana Friendship Center has changed its name to Mission Texarkana, Inc. to reflect its purpose in helping the poor and homeless in this area.

“What we’re looking to do is move from doing so much relief work and more community development and education,” said Cody Howard, executive director of Mission Texarkana, a faith-based organization supported by local churches. “We believe charity is the work of the church and not the government, and so we believe we’re here to help the churches in our area fulfill the calling they have to offer assistance to the poor as well as evangelism and discipleship.”

Name recognition had been a problem for the nonprofit in the past.

“As the Friendship Center, one of the problems we had is the community doesn’t know what we do. … We’ve had people call asking if we were a day care. … That’s why we took this name. We wanted to really give people a sense of who we are and what we do,” he said. “Something else is we want to belong to the community, so we wanted Texarkana in our name.”

Mission Texarkana provides about 300 meals a day on aver-

age at breakfast and lunch in addition to other programs aimed at helping those who’ve fallen on hard times.

“We also provide counseling, evangelism, a large pantry where groceries are provided, local transportation tickets, baby food, diapers, formula, hygiene kits, some over-the-counter medication and all the elements of survival including water, food and heat sources, blankets, coats, gloves and hats,” Howard said.

Nothing has been finalized, but Howard and the Mission Texarkana board of directors are looking at getting clients to engage in activities aimed at equipping them to be self-sufficient.

Howard is hoping their effort will lower the poverty rate.

“The poor and the homeless have knowledge, skills and abilities that are important to our community. We want to become better at helping them use those … to provide for themselves and be more involved in the community,” he said.

Other changes on the horizon for the center include moving its cafeteria and building a laundry that can be used by the homeless.

“As funds become available and donations rise, we’re looking at remodeling. Right now we can only feed 42 people at a time, and we feed several hundred a day so it gets crazy in here. We’re looking at remodeling our old shop into the feeding center and a group of churches is about to break ground on a new washateria. That’s a big need,” Howard said.

As it stands, because homeless people and their belongings are often exposed to the elements, it’s often easier for them to throw wet or dirty clothing away and get more from the groups around town that will supply clothing.

Anyone in the community who would like to get involved with Mission Texarkana can call 903792-1301. Volunteers are needed to serve food, work in the kitchen, answer phones, organize the warehouse and more.

“I’ve been pushing people to pick a day, even if it’s just one day every six months, that they can help. We’re just trying to get people we can consistently count on,” Howard said.

Mission Texarkana opened in 1968 and has a 50-year history of serving the community.