“I don't have to worry about food.”

When Matthew was 4 years old, he left South Korea to be adopted by an American family. Unfortunately, he was a victim of abuse and was placed in the foster care system. He was adopted by three different families during this time, leading to instability from an early age.

With a childhood marked by abuse, death, and sorrow, he went to the streets to escape.

“I was on the streets out here for 15 years. I had been to the Mission before. I had low income housing, but 5 days before Christmas the apartment management put us out on the street. Ended up losing my apartment, so I ended up back at  the Mission.”

Tired of living in instability on the streets, Matthew came to the Bread of Life Mission seeking stability and hope.

“My biggest challenge before coming to the Bread of Life Mission was trying to socialize more,” Matthew says. "I I don't know. I just- I don't really go out. I was just working and going home."

“The most important thing I have learned is how to get along with people, because I'm one of those people that just stays to myself.”

After enduring so many painful circumstances, Matthew is relieved that the Mission is there for him. “I don't have to worry about food. I don't have to worry about a place to sleep.” he says.

In response to people criticizing homeless people, he says "You're one paycheck away from being on out here where I'm at. They don't realize how hard people that are on the streets have it - the struggles they go through from day-to-day, even just to get a meal or a place to sleep."

Your support has filled Matthew’s life with stability, a roof over his head, and newfound hope for the future.