Rainbow Express begins again, starting in March. Pictured here, some fun & games from a Rainbow Express event in a previous year!

A New and Exciting Season

Rainbow Express^® is “pulling out of the station.” Starting next week, student groups from around the nation and across Texas arrive to lead Rainbow Express^® throughout our community. We are so excited.

What is it?

Rainbow Express^® is Mission Arlington’s version of a “backyard Bible club,” with crafts, snacks, songs, activities, and Bible stories. These events happen from Monday through Thursday each week during Spring Break, all across our community.

How you can help!

Please pray, as Rainbow Express^® gets underway.  If you want to help, you can bring Snacks, crayons, &/or craft supplies. In 2021, more than twelve thousand students attended at least one Rainbow Express event.

We are so grateful for your support!

Mission Arlington on a cold, snowy day, February 3rd, 2022.

Coats, blankets, sweaters, and all kinds of garments to keep people warm are “flying off the shelves” here at Mission Arlington^®.  We have these items to give away, because you – the most generous community we know of – constantly provide.

We hear from you things like, “I had this extra coat in my closet, so I dropped it by.” Or, “I was at the store, and saw this on sale. I thought someone might need it.” You always make it seem like its “no big deal,” or no cost to you to give. We’ve learned to listen to the sounds of love through the years, because that’s exactly what it is when you give like you do.

Some know what it’s like not to have something warm. They remember a time when their own cupboards were bare, so they give back. Others haven’t stood in those places, but they seem to know how hard it must be for parents & children not to have food, or the warm clothes they need when the weather reaches chilly temperatures like it has this week.

We love who you are, and we wake up every day grateful for another chance to serve alongside each of you, so that ordinary people in a moment of need can receive help and find hope again.

One more thing to add – something that we know for sure. The same families receiving help today will get stronger. Then, at some time in the future, they will be the ones lending a hand to others in need, and they will do it with passion.

We are grateful for you, and all glory to God.

“Food Insecurity” is a term which refers to the “lack of access to enough food to live a health life for all household members.”

For most of us, if we discover that our pantry is bare, it’s not a crisis. We simply go to the grocery store to replenish, or we go out to eat. However, it isn’t that way for everyone.

Reports indicate that 18.1 percent of Tarrant County residents are “food insecure,” a few percentage points higher than the national average.

We don’t need a report to tell us this, because we see the people who come through our front room every day.  90% of those who come through need and receive a 3-5 day supply of food from Mission Arlington^®.

In 2021, more than 50,000 families received food, representing 176,152 people.

Mission Arlington^® has food to give, because you provide it, day after day,  You are making a difference here, and we are so grateful!  Thank you!

Students enjoying their service at Mission Arlington during on Martin Luther King’s “Day of Service” at Mission Arlington.  Come join us, won’t you?  You can make an authentic difference with your life!”

This coming Monday, January 17th, is a national holiday, celebrating Dr. King’s birthday.  It is also a day when our community loves to give back – serving others with joy and making a difference with our lives.

Mission Arlington^® will be open for this important holiday, from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.  You can come and serve for all, or for part of the day.  Come by yourself, or bring a friend.  Bring your family too, even the children.  Mission Arlington is a great place for the children to learn how to give back.  We have many age-appropriate ways that the children can join in the fun, and make a difference too.  Or, you can bring your team, civic club, business associates along too, all to make a difference here.

We are getting ready for this “Day of Service” even now.  There will be clothes to sort and food to organize, plus so many other “hands on” ways that you can make a difference.

You don’t need an appointment. Just come on in whenever you are available this Monday, and we will get your team to work.

We look forward to working alongside of you.  Together, we can make a difference!

Join us, won’t you?

Year-Long Preparation

The Mission Arlington^® family prepares for Christmas all-year long, and 2021 was no exception. Every day of the year, our community drops-off Christmas gifts. We keep them, and get them up to our free Christmas Store.  Starting in February, a group of volunteers begin getting the store ready – working steadily through the year  – to place toys on shelves, and to get the store ready for the next Christmas Season.

12 Days of Christmas

Physical Results: Over 12 days this past December, our generous community provided Christmas gifts to nearly 26,000 children(25,861), including a few adults whose children picked-out gifts from the store for them. This represents more than 6,000 families (6,204). 4,500 children received bikes, and over 5,000 volunteers came to help. Wow!

Spiritual Results: An essential part of our Christmas Store is the “Christmas Story,” which we tell to every adult who comes through – this year, in 5 different languages.  As a result, 327 adults trusted Christ with their lives, and a total of 1,056 people made a spiritual decision of some kind.

So Thankful

For You: Both the volunteers who served, and the people who were receiving help recognized God’s presence and Spirit throughout this nearly two-week experience. The generosity of our community was unparalleled, bringing truck-load after truck-load of cars, so that children in need would be cared for on Christmas Day.

For God: We are thankful to God for his provisions for the children, and want Him to receive all glory for the work which happens here.  We are looking forward to serving alongside each of you again this year, especially when next Christmas roles around.

We are grateful for this amazing community!

With December’s arrival, preparations for our free Christmas Store have ramped up, and excitement is in the air. Volunteers are busy placing Christmas gifts on shelves, getting us ready for December 11th’s opening day.

Christmas Store Dates

1. December 11th – December 22nd (excluding Sundays), from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.;
2. December 23rd – 10:00 a.m. – noon.

Volunteer Opportunities in the Store

Coming by yourself, with your family, or a few friends?  You don’t need an appointment. Please just show up, and we’ll get you to work.  Coming with your group or team?  Give us a call at 817-277-6620, and we’ll get you on our schedule. Please note: we are kid-friendly. We love it when your children come with you. There are plenty of age-appropriate tasks for them to do.

1. Stock Room – receive, organize, and place Christmas gifts & toys;
2. Shopper Helper – help moms & dads find gifts for their children;
3. Childcare – help us care for children, while parents are shopping in our store;
4. Gift Wrap – wrap the gifts people have chosen for their children;
5. Much More – there will be plenty of ways to serve while in the store.

Christmas Gifts / Toys are needed

For children up through age 17. Wrapping paper, gift wrap, and ribbons, and tape are helpful gifts too. Here are a few ways you can get gifts to the children who will be receiving them:

1. Click on this LINK for Christmas gift ideas, then bring those gifts to the Mission Offices anytime up through Christmas Eve.
2. Purchase through our Amazon Wish List to have the gifts delivered. Click HERE.
3. Online Giving: Give directly to us online, through our secure Website. Under the option for “funds,” select “Christmas,” and we’ll use the money to provide Christmas gifts;
4. Provide a Bike for children & youth – by bringing the bike directly to us, or by providing funds online for the purchase of a bike. Select the fund “Bikes for Mission Arlington” when you give.

Your Prayer Support

As you give and volunteer, we do have one more request. Please keep this Christmas season with Mission Arlington in your prayers. It isn’t just a prayer request for enough toys or volunteers, but that God would be glorified in us and through our work, and that people would experience God’s love as they receive these gifts.  We will be telling the story of Luke chapter 2 to everyone who will be coming through the Christmas Store. Please pray that God will use the story, and all of the Christmas Season, to bring people to Him.

6,000 volunteers gather at Mission Arlington to deliver Thanksgiving food to people in need. What an amazing community.

Mission Arlington^® delivers turkeys and Thanksgiving food to more than 6,000 families (about 27,000 people) on Thanksgiving morning.  What started small has now grown into a massive undertaking of love.  Here are some ways you can help – before and on Thanksgiving Day!

Before Thanksgiving

• bringing turkeys and/or Thanksgiving food to the Mission Arlington^® offices before Thanksgiving Day. For a list of food items needed, click HERE;
• volunteering with us – anytime between 7 a.m. & 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday – to pack and prepare turkey baskets prior to Thanksgiving Day. It takes a lot of hands to get everything ready. You don’t need an appointment. Just come on down.

On Thanksgiving Day

• Be at the Mission Offices by 8:00 a.m. There will be plenty of places to park around the Mission.
• It takes about 6,000 volunteers to deliver all the food, so don’t fret if you see a lot of other people there. We still need your help;
• We will get you, your family, and/or your team registered, and then give you your assignment.
• You will pick up your turkey, Thanksgiving boxes, and make your deliveries, and you will be such a blessing to the people receiving the food.
• We typically finish by noon, and then you can go home to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your own family and friends.

If you are bringing a team with you, or a group, give us a call, and we’ll provide you with a special set of instructions for the day.

We are so blessed to be working in this faithful, generous community.  Thank you for making a difference in this Thanksgiving Season.

Children enjoy a beautiful day outdoors with their families at our annual Fall Festival. The smiling faces pictured here are enjoying a hayride. 2,197 children attended with their family. It was such an amazing day. We are grateful for your support.

Our annual Fall Festival has come on gone, but the beautiful experience still remains in full view. More than two thousand (2,197) children attended this free, outdoor event last Saturday.

Families enjoyed a day with their children and grandchildren. Bouncy houses, hay rides, a hot lunch, and outdoor carnival games were all part of the fun.  The weather cooperated too, making it a great day to enjoy a safe and fun, outdoor event for the whole family.

About 300 volunteers – seniors, youth groups, and college teams, churches, and businesses – gave their Saturday to make a difference. They cooked hotdogs, served thousands of free meals, drove tractors filled with hay around an open field, helped children in and out of bouncy houses, and cheered children on at the outdoor carnival games.

As with all of Mission Arlington’s services, the event was completely free from start to finish. Plus, every child received multiple, fun prizes, and some candy to boot.

The entire event, from start to finish, was so much fun.  We are grateful for the privilege we have of serving the Lord alongside this wonderful community. Thank you so much for your support.

The Hay Ride at Mission Arlington’s annual Fall Festival is so much fun.

It’s Fall, Y’all

and time once again for our annual Fall Festival – designed as great outdoor fun for families.

The Fall Festival

Our Fall Festival happens Saturday, October 30th, from Noon to 4:00, and it is open for the entire community. Bouncy houses, carnival games, free food, a giant hayride, and candy, are all part of the fun.  The entire event is free and open to the public.

A Great Place to Volunteer

If you and/or your team want to volunteer at this event, give us a call at 817-277-6620. We need people to help with bouncy houses, operate the carnival games, serve food, pick up trash, and so much more!

Candy Needed

We need individually-wrapped bags of candy for an expected crowd of about 2,500 children. If possible, could you drop off candy at Mission Arlington^® anytime before the Festival begins on August 30th.

Thank you so much for your constant support of the ministry here.

A beautiful, early morning at Mission Arlington in the Fall. Serving the Lord in our 36th year.

Thursday, September 23rd, was North Texas Giving Day, an annual North Texas tradition sponsored by the good folks at the Communities Foundation of Texas. For the past 12 years, they have raised millions of dollars for more than 3,200 North Texas nonprofits. On this special day, according to their website, “everyone has the opportunity to be a philanthropist,” and to help build a stronger, more vibrant community. We are grateful for everyone who worked so hard to make this day a special success.

Tillie Burgin, Executive Director, since August 1st, 1986.

Though Mission Arlington^® doesn’t do direct marketing or fund raising, and never will, we have been a participant in this special day since it began back in 2009.  We continue to be humbled and honored by the amazing, faithful generosity of our community to care for people in need. Yesterday, through official and unofficial channels, you provided more support than ever before. Though the final numbers from all sources haven’t yet been tallied, initial counts indicate that giving this year was ahead of last year’s totals by about 45 percent. Wow!

We are so truly grateful for you. You give when times are good, and when times are hard. Even when you don’t have much extra for your own family, you still give, so that others in need can find the help and hope they need.  For 35 years, you have been faithfully & generously supportive of the ministry here  We are proud to continue reporting that more than 98.5 cents of every dollar you give, ministers directly to people in need.  Our documented audits demonstrate that our administrative overhead continues to be a low 1.47 percent.

Tillie Burgin has been here since Mission Arlington^® began thirty-five (35) years ago. We are currently in our 36th year. The HOLIDAY season is directly ahead.  The Fall Festival, Thanksgiving Day deliveries, and Christmas Store are just around the corner.

We love serving the Lord with you in this beautiful community. Come join us, won’t you?