Matthew 25

10/13/2026

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10/13/2026

Hello friends of Matthew 25,

It's time for an update.

We have just passed our 4 year anniversary. In that time period, we have grown drastically. Our original plan was to rent 6 rooms for 6 months and "see what happens".

God happened!
We now are living out His mission based on what is allowed by His will!

We have grown from our original 6 rooms to now having 14 rooms. We have served over 220 guests. Our success rate stands at 55%. This means that these guests have successfully made some significant changes in their lives, while following the regulations that we have put in place, and are now doing much better. We have statistically reduced the crime rate at our address in Charleston.

Many people think that we are an emergency shelter. We are not!
Matthew 25 is a transitional facility located in Charleston, Illinois. We provide a very meager hotel-style living space for up to six months. This is provided at zero cost to our guests. We are covering the costs of rent, electric, water, and trash . We do serve both men and women at Matthew 25.

Our guests are not provided a place of comfort and relaxation. They are provided safety and the basic needs for sleeping, eating, and hygiene. Guest are required to obtain a source of income. To be successful, they must budget and save their income to prepare for their next residence. The guests' first day in Matthew 25 is in preparation for their exit from Matthew 25.

For us to assist someone, they must first pass a background check. Then, they are placed on a waiting list until it is their turn for an opening. Our waiting list varies in length and time. Currently, we have 14 guest in placement and 21 future guests in waiting. Our current waiting list is 6 months long.

We are not a one size fits all facility. We provide single occupancy rooms. We do not allow anyone with active warrants. We also do not allow convicted s*x offenders into our program.

During the background check, we look at the applicants' entire life history. We look at how many court cases they have had in their life. We review the number of times that they have failed to appear in court. We look at petitions to revoke probation. We look at the number of incarcerations. We look at the magnitude of outstanding fines and fees owed. All of these factors goes into the entire picture of the potential guests' lives.

Matthew 25 aims to help those individuals who want to take the necessary steps to do life differently. If it appears that the potential guest is not ready to make the changes necessary to succeed, they they are declined in the background process.

Our investors are generous. We must be good stewards of the funds that are provided to Matthew 25.

What's next? We are in the process of transitioning from a 100% volunteer program to a staff of employees. There will still be a very large volunteer component to Matthew 25. This is all a work in progress. We will need to hire the right people to do the right jobs. If you know of someone who may have an interest in getting involved, have them reach out to us.

Ultimately, the long term plan is to eventually build a new facility that will allow us to assist more individuals and families. This transition would also allow for us to offer many more services that are currently unavailable.

We have recently moved the storage location of all Matthew 25 items from the Newman Center to The Charleston Food Pantry located at 990 W State Street. Any future donations should go to this new location.

Here is our current wish list:
rolls of quarters
kitchen wash rags
dish soap
dish sponges
can openers
pizza cutters
vegetable peelers
bath mats
shaving cream
feminine pads
bicycle locks

Please, share this post! Talk amongst yourselves with support and scrutiny of this mission. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

It takes a village to make a dream of this magnitude become reality. Will you consider becoming an active part of our future? We ask that you pray about this opportunity and discuss it with your families.

Be blessed and be kind!

Todd Foster
Director
Matthew 25
217-790-5150

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06/25/2026

Good morning friends of Matthew 25.

As we are approaching our 4 year anniversary, I thought I would give you an update.

We have served 207 guests so far.

We now have 14 rooms available where qualified individuals can stay for up to a maximum of six months at no cost to them.

We always have a waiting list. Today that list has 23 people in waiting. This equates to about 2-3 months waiting.

How can you help?

We need partner families. Anyone interested in investing one hour per week into mentoring an assigned guest is encouraged to contact us. 217-790-5150 to discuss. This is a zero cost to you opportunity. You will receive training, a reference manual, and real life experience during this training period. You get to specify what kind of guest you would be willing to mentor. We are present to support you during this process. Scheduling is entirely up to you. We just ask that you spend one hour per week with your guest. All are welcome to apply, but we are in particular need of Male mentors.

Other needs:
Monetary donations
Commercial acreage in Charleston
Bath Towels
Wash clothes
bath hand towels
disposable razors
rolls of quarters
bibles
hand lotion
bicycle locks
All of these items can be left at the EIU Newman Center 500 Roosevelt in Charleston.

Coming soon! Our 4th Annual fundraiser will be September 19th at Morton Park in Charleston 11:00-3:00. There will be live music, silent auction, BINGO, food trucks, sales vendors, bounce houses, face painting, speakers and testimonials. This is a fun day for all to attend. Save the date!

As always, we encourage questions and ideas.

Please, contact 217-790-5150 for further.

Be Blessed!

Todd

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