Download the Desert Mission Impact Report (PDF format)

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“Thank you for your generous contribution and commitment to furthering Desert Mission’s nearly century long legacy to make health and social services accessible to the most vulnerable members of our community.

— Haeli Miceli, MPA
Executive Director, HonorHealth Desert Mission

 

 

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Making great care possible is just the start!

The need is all around us

For more than 97 years, Desert Mission has provided comfort to young children, fragile adults and families in need. Your generous philanthropy ensures that we can continue to care for the vulnerable members of our community.

Here’s how your gift made an incredible difference for those in need in 2024:

Adult Day Health Care
Desert Mission’s Adult Day Health Care program creates a safe and enriching environment for seniors.

Our seniors participate in art and music activities and build social connections that are hard for isolated seniors. With a nurse on site, we care for their physical health, too. These dynamic social, cognitive and recreational activities enhance their quality of life.

At the same time, the program supports their caregivers through respite care, resource navigation and caregiver support groups. Our comprehensive approach helps both members and their care partners thrive.

• Total members served | 63
• Members with Alzheimer’s and other types of Dementia | 95 percent
• Members receiving financial assistance | Approximately 60 percent
• Ages | Youngest: 55 Oldest: 102
• Veterans | 20 percent

Food Bank
Desert Mission Food Bank is committed to addressing the growing needs of our community by providing nutritious food to people who need it.

We offer support through both direct services at our front door and innovative programs that expand food access across the Sunnyslope community and beyond, expanding throughout the HonorHealth network.

Through our strong collaborations with local schools, housing communities, medical offices and more, we ensure that a healthy meal is on the table.

At the Food Bank:

• Total households served onsite | 57,626
• Total individuals served onsite | 111,127
• Total pounds distributed to guests | 3,045,848 (a 24 percent increase from 2023)
• Households that visit one time | 45 percent

In the community:

• School pantries
  • Number of school pantry distribution locations | 11
  • Number of households served | 1,600
  • Pounds of food distributed | 32,971
• Snack Packs
  • Washington Elementary School District | 20 schools
  • 7,445 snack packs distributed
• Farm stand events | 4
• Gardens | 5
• Clinic food boxes | 74
• Produce bags | 279

Lincoln Learning Center
Lincoln Learning Center is an early childhood care and education facility, serving children from a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and recognized as a five-star provider of the First Things First Quality First program, we are dedicated to ensuring that high-quality early care and educational opportunities are accessible to every child, regardless of their family’s income.

We collaborate closely with families of children who require extra support, creating tailored learning plans for their success. Through Desert Mission’s various programs, we also provide additional wraparound services to further support the needs of our students and their families.

• Total number of children served | 274
• Percentage of pre-K Graduates assessed as Kindergarten-Ready | 98 percent
  • This is a remarkable success, considering we support many children that currently have IEPs, IFSPs or ISPs
• 5 Star First Things First Quality First rating
  • These programs significantly exceed quality standards and consistently maintain highest-quality practices
• Receiving financial assistance | 31 percent
• Percentage of children assessed with learning delays | 23 percent

A strong start in education makes a strong start in life!

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Because of you

As a nonprofit, community-based healthcare system, HonorHealth relies on your kindness and generosity to help provide the exceptional care you and your family expect and deserve.

Every client’s experience with Desert Mission is enhanced through philanthropy. Because of you, HonorHealth remains committed to helping build stronger communities, together.

Giving through HonorHealth Foundation means you’re supporting more than great care — your contributions improve health and well-being, fuel medical breakthroughs, drive innovative research and so much more.

We are grateful for your transformational investment in our community!

 

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Living Well

While our Food Bank’s role is to “feed the line,” Living Well’s role is to “shorten the line.”

Our work addresses the root causes of food insecurity, providing resources and basic financial coaching based on each guest’s unique needs. We provide direct connections to resources, including public benefits, emergency rent, utility and transportation assistance. We also connect HonorHealth patients to resources through our Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) initiative.

The goal is to help our clients build resiliency and self-sufficiency.

• Because of you, 874 community members received successful resource navigation and individualized support services in 2024

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What our participants and their families are saying about Desert Mission 

“All the staff at Desert Mission Adult Day Healthcare are great examples of everything that’s right with the world. I have so much gratitude for you all for the loving care you gave to William over the past three years. It allowed us to stay together at home and enjoy our life together. Thank you for the care and the beautiful memories!”
—Nancy, wife of William, past member for 3 years

“Blaise was recently served an eviction notice and has been trying to work with the Department of Economic Security to participate in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Through the months without any news, Blaise began to lose hope and believed he was destined to become homeless. The caring staff at Desert Mission helped Blaise by providing him with much needed technology and personal assistance to resubmit his ERAP application. Shortly after, he was approved for the ERAP and received rental assistance.”

“Thank you for your support and encouragement as we navigated the system to get support for our son. Your patience, knowledge and support have allowed us to help him be successful.”

“Everyone has hopes, dreams, fears and future goals. Not everyone has a trusted person to talk to about them. Living Well clients work with a certified coach — a smart, friendly human with life experience and numbers knowledge — to build smart money habits and focus on their financial bottom line.”

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Download the Desert Mission Impact Report (PDF format)