PEORIA MAGAZINE June 2023

Mulch mountains

S P O T L I G H T

‘WE COULD BLANKET PEORIA IN MULCH’

But the real goal at Peoria Rescue Ministries is teaching job skills, providing hope to people in crisis BY MICHAEL MILLER PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON P eoria Mulch is improving more than landscapes. A business created by Peoria Rescue Ministries (PRM), 1119 SW Adams, Peoria Mulch sells its product by the bag, yard or truckload, made from recycled pallets donated by Caterpillar Inc. It also sells collapsible, raised-bed frames for gardens and landscapes, converted from those same pallets. A woodworking center is coming online, as well. But arguably the best products

of PRM’s renewal programs are the improved lives of men and women challenged by life’s circumstances, such as drug and alcohol addiction. “The whole purpose is to provide another pathway out of poverty,” said Bud Sous, director of the PRM enterprise programs that include the mulch storefront, Victory Acres, and the woodworking center. ‘A CENTER FOR HOPE’ PRM helps struggling men at its Rescue Ministry and women at its Esther House who are trying to get back on their feet and be ready to face the world again. They also get job training at Victory Acres, where the mulch is made. Soft-skill development – showing up for work, having a good attitude toward co-workers, communicating effectively, etc. – is a part of that experience. “We’re more than a homeless shelter,” said Jon Rocke, executive director at PRM. “We’re a center for hope. We’re investing in our students’ lives. We want them to be productive workers in the community.”

Bud Sous, director of ministry enterprises at Victory Acres

Rocke said that the ministry could help the participants in their programs find initial work with other companies, but prefers that they develop job skills in the same Christian context in which they started their recovery. “This is a great, safe environment of care and coaching,” Rocke said. “They can put into practice what they’re learning.”

50 JUNE 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE