Union Gospel Mission - Duluth

OUR STORY

On November 1, 1922, twenty-two churches of different Christian denominations came together with one unified goal... to provide food, shelter and hope to our Northland neighbors in need. The Mission has been on this mission now for over 100 years. While our goals haven’t changed, the way we go about achieving them has.

The Mission currently distributes over 6,000 nutritious meals each month. Many of our patrons come from food-challenged households. The majority of these households include children or seniors on limited incomes. Guests often rely on the meals distributed at the Mission to meet their nutritional needs. No questions are asked of meal attendees, and servings are not limited. In addition to a prepared meal, surplus food, rescued from our local partner agencies, is set-out for guests to take home as desired.

The Mission also provides a host of additional supportive resources to our Northland neighbors in need. Children, seniors and families visit the Mission each weekday to access warm clothing, personal hygiene essentials, tents, blankets, etc. The Mission is able to provide these supportive products via generous donations from the community. 

In the summer of 2023, with the help of local support, Union Gospel Mission launched a new program - Project Joy Bags aimed at tackling childhood summer hunger. Project Joy Bags are filled with easy-to-open, easy-to-prepare food items. The bags are then delivered on Thursday mornings to local youth organizations who disperse the bags directly to kids in need of weekend food assistance. The program runs for 12 weeks throughout the summer.

Lastly, UGM operates the Mission Heights - a twenty-bedroom housing complex located above the Mission's dining hall. Rooms are adult only, single room occupancy (SRO). Bathroom, laundry and kitchen areas are shared community spaces. Rooms are leased on a month-to-month basis.

Today, we build partnerships and deep community relationships because we know we’re stronger together. We fill gaps so no one falls through them. And we serve our guests in a way that preserves pride and inspires belief in a better tomorrow. Because shelter fills a need, and food fills stomachs — but hope fills the soul.