News

Crossroads Mission Avenue celebrated a ribbon-cutting celebration in conjunction with the Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce at the Broken Bow Mission Avenue Thrift Store on February 8, 2024. Mission Avenue Thrift is thrilled to join the retail shops in Broken Bow to supply a local option for low-cost clothing and household goods. The thrift store also offers a Community Voucher Program, aimed at meeting immediate needs within the community at no charge, as individuals and families are referred to the store through local churches and community agencies. In addition, this location offers an opportunity for Custer County residents to recycle their unneeded items by donating to the Thrift Store, as Mission Avenue Thrift accepts all donations. All proceeds support the efforts of Crossroads Mission Avenue as they provide meals and care for the homeless and needy in Central Nebraska.

Crossroads Mission Avenue has been serving the homeless in Central Nebraska for over 40 years, with locations in Kearney, Grand Island, and Hastings. The newest Crossroads location will provide homeless services in Lexington, where a capital campaign to raise funding for the expansion is currently underway. Each campus provides emergency shelter and transitional housing, offering comprehensive care in a nurturing environment. This includes services such as safe shelter, hot meals, life skills classes, and one-on-one case management that helps their guests gain employment, financial independence, and stable housing. This equips Crossroads guests for successful living after their time at the shelter and leads to homelessness prevention. Crossroads Mission Avenue provided almost 68,000 nights of stay for needy Nebraskans throughout 2023.

The Broken Bow Mission Avenue Thrift store offers job training experience and jobs for Crossroads’ guests, as well as providing employment and volunteer opportunities for the local community. Daniel Buller, Executive Director for Crossroads Mission Avenue, is excited to expand services into Custer County. “Crossroads Mission Avenue continues to establish a presence throughout Central Nebraska, not only with homeless shelters currently in Hastings, Kearney, and Grand Island but other facilities in new cities – the most recent being Broken Bow Mission Avenue Thrift. Crossroads’ expansion in the region is an effort toward homelessness prevention. These expansion efforts are meeting the needs of food insecurities, creating local career opportunities, supporting low-income families, and providing sustainable recycle opportunities, while continuing to support our efforts of sustaining such a great Christian organization. Crossroads experienced 1547 check-ins during 2023 – men, women, and families in the region who were able to call Crossroads home for a time. Crossroads is working tirelessly to establish a new Rescue Mission outreach in the City of Lexington and is very excited to have opened the new Mission Avenue Thrift stores in Lexington, Holdrege, and Broken Bow. Lexington is also home to a monthly mobile food distribution coordinated by Crossroads which has served almost 5,000 households in the past year.  Our Nebraska communities have been extremely welcoming and generous, and for that we are thankful. Our Mission is to bring glory to God through the helping of people, and every operation overseen by Crossroads fulfills that mission. As we look to the future we say, “Lord willing” we will continue to grow and make a major impact by addressing issues of poverty and homelessness throughout Central Nebraska, and perhaps the Lord will lead the way to opportunities in Western Nebraska as well.” 

Crossroads Mission Avenue’s mission is to bring glory to God through the helping of people.  Homelessness recovery is a long, complicated process for many of their guests, and step by step, Crossroads is there to help them in that process. The new Broken Bow Mission Avenue Thrift Store will be a vital addition to their program!