(Kansas City, MO)  December 8, 2007.  Northland Sonic Drive-Ins, headquartered in Liberty, will for the 3rd year host a very special breakfast with Santa on December 8th at 8:30 am at the Family Center, located at 1310 Wabash, Kansas City, MO.  The breakfast is for children and their families staying at City Union Mission’s Family Center, or whose parents are enrolled in the New Life Program, the long-term recovery program for women and families. 

Liz Simons, owner of Northland Sonic Drive-Ins, remarks, “We do this because we want to serve God by serving those less fortunate in our community.

Matthew 25: 35-40
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

"Our supervisors, operators, and their families love coming to the mission.  We have an awesome time putting on this special event!  Everybody attending gets a gift, chosen for their particular gender and age group.  This year we thank the K-Mart on Barry Road for giving us a 10% discount on our purchases. Along with breakfast and gifts, we will have pictures with Santa, games and prizes for everyone.  The most treasured event of the day is always the pictures with Santa.  Each resident has an individual picture taken and then a group picture taken with their whole family.  The pictures are then placed in frames that are decorated by the residents themselves and are theirs to keep as a remembrance of the day.  Everyone loves their pictures.  It is heartwarming to see their smiles.  The event is as much a blessing to each of us as it is to the people the party is given for."

Lorraine Minor, Associate Executive Director of Programs and Administration, explains, “When we think of the poor and homeless we often forget that many of them are children.  According to the National Center on Family Homelessness 1.35 million children are homeless during a year’s time.  Christmas can be a particularly painful season for them.  So we especially want to be sensitive as to how we can help bring a greater sense of normalcy, as well as meaning, to a poor or homeless child’s Christmas experience.  The breakfast with Santa offers another opportunity to share Christ’s love with kids…to express to them how very valuable they are.”

For more information about Christmas drives, please click here. 

If your business or organization would like to find out how you can partner with City Union Mission, please click here. 

And for information about how churches can get involved, please click here. 

Best Photo Opportunity: Saturday, December 8, 2007 
Breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m.
City Union Mission Family Center
1310 Wabash, Kansas City, Missouri