Matthew 25

02/19/2026

Hello friends of Matthew 25,

Thursday February 19, 2026 at 9:30 will be our next board meeting. This is held at EIU Newman Center 500 Roosevelt in Charleston, Illinois. This is an open meeting so all are welcome to attend. Join us if you are interested or have questions.

Our current wish list is below:
Partner families (mentors) this takes one hour per week
monetary support
adult bicycles
bicycle locks
paper towels
toilet paper
Kleenex
Bibles
disposable razors
feminine products
Kitchen size trash cans
kitchen size trash bags 13 gallon
laundry soap
rolls of quarters
new socks
copy paper

tangible donations may be dropped at the Newman Center. See the address above.

Monetary donations can be made online or mailed to Matthew 25 P.O. Box 254 Charleston, Illinois 61920

Any questions can be forwarded to Todd at 217-790-5150.

Thanks for your support.

Be kind to one another!

Todd

12/15/2025

Friends of Matthew 25,

It's update time again. I has been a busy season this far and winter hasn't even started yet.

We have had countless calls for assistance, and several guests have come and gone. We have had some real success stories and some disappointments. This is to be expected in this line of service.

Most of our guests are dealing with legal issues, domestic violence, addiction issues, mental health issues and a history of poor decisions. Sometimes, we get a guest that checks all of these boxes.

One of the things that I think makes Matthew 25 special and different from other shelters is that we meet the guest where they are at in life. We learn about the history of the guest and what challenges they are experiencing. We take the time to find the diamond in the rough. We focus on being grateful for the positives and striving to improve on the negatives. There is not one clear path that fits every guest. Each guest is unique and treated as such.

One of the statistics that we track is the success of the guest. How do we measure success? We require that guests abide by the rules of the program. We require that the guests meet with their partner family (mentor) on a weekly basis. And we require that the guest make progress toward goals that they set for themselves and want to achieve. Progress looks different for each guest because each guest comes from a different set of circumstances. For some, progress is maintaining sobriety. For others, it is employment and money management. Others may be focusing on family reunification. Since our opening in July of 2022, our success rate has been steady at about 60%.

If you would like to learn more about this program or become involved in any capacity, contact Todd Foster @ 217-790-5150.

We are in constant need of partner families. This is a volunteer role that has you interacting with a specific assigned guest for one hour per week for up to six months.

We are also in need of the following items:
Bicycle locks
Kitchen size trash cans
Ice melt
Kleenex
razors
tampons

These tangible items can be left at the Newman Center 500 Roosevelt Charleston, Illinois 61920 during the business day.

Merry Christmas! He is risen!

Todd

11/13/2025

Friends of Matthew 25,

It's time for an update. The number of requests for housing assistance has increased dramatically. We currently have a very long waiting list that puts us scheduling guests well into March of 2026.

A significant event has recently occurred that has caught us off guard. Our long time on-site volunteer, Beverly, fell and broke her ankle. She is going to heal, but the break will require surgery and a very long recovery period.

At this time, we are uncertain of what our needs are. Several of the guests, board members, and volunteers are surrounding Beverly with love and offers for assistance.

We know that the next few months will not run as smoothly as we would like.

We are going to need additional assistance with property maintenance and cleaning of rooms during turnovers.

How can you help?

We are in need of partner families (mentors), volunteers for cleaning, and exterior fall yard clean up. We will likely need some transportation for Beverly for follow up doctor appointments and physical therapy.

Other needs for the mission:
Adult bicycles
Bicycle locks
deodorant
shaving cream
razors
tampons
13 gallon trash bags

These tangible items can be left at the Newman Center 500 Roosevelt Charleston, Illinois 61920 during their normal business day.

Any one wishing to assist with the above tasks should contact Todd at 217-790-5150

Prayers are always appreciated

Todd

11/01/2025

09/18/2025

Friends of Matthew 25,
I am pleased to announce that our 3rd annual fundraiser held last weekend at Morton park was our most successful ever. Thanks to your donations, we were able to raise $8324.00. That is about 13% of our annual budget. Where does the rest of the funding come from? Local donors, church support, business support, and a small amount of grant funding.
This year we also partnered with the Coles County animal Shelter who had an adopt a pet day at our fundraising event. The puppies were definitely a hit with the crowd and three dogs now have been rescued and have new homes. I'm now being told that Matthew 25 even helps homeless dogs find a new home.
Our current needs?
Financial support
Prayers
Partner families (mentors) especially males
adult bicycles
bike locks
rolls of quarters
We have also been selected to be the focus for the annual fundraising benefit dinner hosted by the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Dorans on November 1st 4:30 - 7:00. This is a country church between Mattoon and Arcola if you are not familiar with this location. Friends, you are going to eat dinner that evening anyway, please save the date and plan to attend this incredible function.
As always, seek out what you can do for God. It is a joy and a privilege to be allowed the chance to be His hands and feet.
Todd

Send a message to learn more

09/10/2025

Hello Friends of Matthew 25!

The day is near. This Saturday 09/13 is our 3rd annual fundraiser at Morton Park in Charleston, Illinois. The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with live music by Band of Prodigals, food trucks, sales vendors, silent auction, bounce houses, face painting, 50/50 raffle tickets, BINGO prizes, and random drawing prizes. Come spend the day with us at Morton park.

What are our current needs?

Bicycle locks
razors
deodorant
shaving cream
partner families (especially male partners)
financial support
land for future development

Some new statistics for Matthew 25
Three year period July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025
Requests for assistance 533
Background checks passed 322 60%
Background checks failed 211 40%
Male requests 302 56%
Female requests 231 44%
Average age 38
requests by age range
teens 9
20-29 119
30-39 159
40-49 156
50-59 69
60-69 17
70 and up 4

Total guests assisted 165
Successful 91 55%
Unsuccessful 74 45%

Although, I am not pleased with these statistics, it is our starting place. We will improve from here.

For those of you who still don't think that we have a homeless problem here in Charleston, 533 requests for assistance in 3 years should make you rethink that.

Be Blessed,

Todd

Send a message to learn more

07/01/2025

Happy 3rd Birthday to Matthew 25!

These first three years have flown by quickly.

Here are some of our highlights during this period:

We have grown from our original 6 rooms to 14 rooms.

We have assisted in 155 individuals getting off the streets of Coles County.

We have reduced the police activity per capita at the address since opening Matthew 25.

We have a proven 54% success rate from former guests.

We are a member of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.

We have celebrated wins and grieved losses.

We witnessed marriages, births and deaths.

We have successfully defended a frivolous law suit.

We have invested countless volunteer hours into making our community a better place for everyone.

So, What is next?

September 13th 11:00-3:00. 3rd annual Matthew 25 fundraiser at Morton Park in Charleston. Live music, bounce houses, bingo, silent auction, food trucks, vendor sales, kids activities. Save the date!

Needs?

Financial support. Our monthly costs are currently $5250 per month. We are a 100% volunteer agency. We are funded primarily by community donations. We are a 501(c)3 so your donations are tax deductible. Could you sponsor a room for a month or a year? Could you donate rolls of quarters? Could you check our page for the most needed items list?

Volunteer recruitment.
We are currently in need of partner families. This is a one hour per week commitment for up to six months. You would meet with an assigned guest for one hour per week. You would assist the guest in locating resources in the community and planning for a better future. All are welcome to apply but we especially need males.

Land? We are actively searching for commercially zoned property in Charleston for our future home. Have an idea? Give us a call.

Prayers. Please, pray for our past guests, current guests, future guests, volunteers, administrators and board members.

Donations can be mailed to Matthew 25 P.O. Box 254 Charleston, Illinois, 61920
For questions or volunteer opportunities, contact 217-790-5150.

Please, share this post and spread the word.

See you on September 13th at Morton Park

06/15/2025

Our Board of Directors meeting is next week, Thursday June19th at 9:30 am. Meeting is held at the Newman Catholic Center at 500 Roosevelt Ave.