The Urban Mission, Inc.

The Mission Marketplace is an upscale thrift store operated by our volunteers.  They sell discount items to the general public.  All of the revenue goes directly back into the Mission’s many programs.

SPARK (Support Program  of Art and Reading for Kids) is an after-school program that provides a safe, accessible place for area children grades K-5 to go after school.  Volunteers from the community act as mentors and tutors and assist them in completing homework assignments and increasing their reading skills.  Other activities include crafts, games, recreations, computer time and writing.  The program focus is for children who attend schools in our local area, however enrollment is open to any child in need.  During the summer months SPARK extends to an all day program.  The kids come from 8am-3:00pm.  The focus still remains on reading skills, but with more time in the summer the kids are able to expand their learning experiences; by taking weekly field trips and having speakers, authors and librarians dedicating more time.

This program works in conjunction with the SPARK program and provides nutrition education as well as hot, nutritious meals to the children in program. Kid’s Cafe was started at the Mission by the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.  After the success at our site, they have since started many other programs.  In the past two years over 12,000 meals have been provided to kids in need through this program.  The children also have a Kid’s Café Garden in which they grow and harvest their own food.  The children learn about gardening, how to read and prepare recipes, and how to use kitchen utensils.

The Back-to-School program at The Urban Mission works to ensure that all Oklahoma students are able to participate in school with the proper tools to succeed.  Having clothes, school supplies and backpacks are luxuries that lower income families cannot afford, thus “free” education takes a back seat to more immediate needs.  We provide low-income students with the same school supplies as their peers so that they can start off in school with the same tools as everyone else.  The Urban Mission believes that financial instability in the family should never keep a student from receiving the proper tools to participate in school and succeed in life.