Marys Mercy Center

Mary’s Mercy Center began with a small group of people who pooled their money together to feed the homeless in the park. They rose to meet a challenge and it inspired their hearts to start an organization to feed the poor. They started in September of 1987 with a congregate feeding program called Mary’s Table. Services offered at Mary’s Table expanded to include showers, a clothing closet, and a food bank. In 1995 Mary’s Mercy Center, Inc. opened Veronica’s Home of Mercy, a long-term, 40-bed transitional home targeting adult pregnant women and their children, 0-7 years of age at time of entry, as an alternative to domestic violence, abortion, substance abuse, and/or homelessness. A new Veronica’s Home of Mercy II, an 80-bed modern facility, opened late 2009. Together these homes offer the residents a comprehensive and individualized program. In 2012 a team of dentists and dental students from Loma Linda University Health came to Mary’s Table and started a quarterly dental clinic. In the more than 25 years of existence Mary’s Mercy Center has grown to meet the ever present and increasing needs of the poor and maintained a strong partnership with area agencies and organizations. Mary’s Mercy Center started as a work of the heart, a grassroots initiative to help restore the dignity and self respect of the marginalized.

A client of Mary's Mercy Center

Imagine yourself a young woman in school, in love and in control. Then away from family and support you find yourself pregnant and in an abusive relationship. What are your options? For Denise the option of choice was to keep herself and her baby safe by going to Veronica’s Home of Mercy. There she received more than a roof over her head and food to eat. She entered a caring environment where she and her baby could flourish. The support was consistent, through pregnancy, birth, post-partum, and beyond. While at Veronica’s Home of Mercy, Denise received the support she needed to continue her education and get her life back on track.Denise received her Bachelors Degree in Biology around the time she graduated from Veronica’s Home. She has continued her education and is about to complete her first year of studies toward a PhD in microbiology. Mary’s Mercy Center could not be more proud of Denise and her accomplishments. Thanks to a proposal she wrote for the National Science Foundation, she is now one of only 18 students to be awarded a fellowship at UCR. Denise calls Veronica’s Home regularly to share her successes, and to touch base with the home that has made such a difference in her life and the life of her child. Happy, with a solid foundation for a brighter future, Denise is quick to support Mary’s Mercy Center with her talents. Just last year she played her saxophone and shared the story of her journey through Veronica’s Home at the annual fundraiser dinner. The gratitude flows both ways - Denise is grateful for the hand up she received and Mary’s Mercy Center is thankful to be affirmed in its mission.