Santa Barbara Rescue Mission Annual Fourth of July BBQ, Raffle, and Carnival

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SANTA BARBARA, CA –   The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission is excited to announce its seventeenth annual 4th of July BBQ, Raffle, and Carnival, a festive celebration for community members experiencing homelessness, on Thursday, July 4, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The event will take place in the Rescue Mission’s parking lot at 535 East Yanonali Street, transformed into a lively carnival atmosphere for the day.

This year’s event is a summer highlight, with backyard BBQ-style meals ready to serve over 300 homeless men, women, and children. The Women’s Auxiliary will host the raffle and a variety of entertaining activities. Guests can enjoy music, raffle prize drawings, and engage in fun carnival games, including a dunk tank where guests have the chance to dunk staff members.

In addition, the men from the Mission’s 12-month Residential Treatment Program will cook and assist throughout the event, adding to the spirit of community and celebration.

Rolf Geyling, president of the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, stated, “We’ve been ramping up for this celebration that gives our homeless neighbors a place to go on the holiday. The BBQ is a chance for them to feel loved. It’s a chance for them to begin getting to know us and see that we truly want to help them.”

The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission is the only local agency providing summer overnight shelter for people experiencing homelessness, as well as other essential emergency services and transformative recovery programs. In the past year, the Rescue Mission provided 140,000 meals and 54,000 safe nights of shelter for individuals with nowhere else to turn.

About Santa Barbara Rescue Mission

Established in 1965, this 501(c)(3) organization brings physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual resources to those in need. It is the only organization between Oxnard and Santa Maria that provides hot meals and accommodations to homeless guests 365 days a year. It operates the longest and largest drug and alcohol treatment program on California’s Central Coast. The Mission offers men’s and women’s 12-month residential recovery, family support, relapse prevention, men’s sober living, academic instruction, and job skills training. Its residential drug and alcohol program has won regional and national recognition for its extraordinary effectiveness. The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission receives no government funding.