Lighthouse Mission Volunteers Were Once Clients In Need

Six years sober and working at the place that helped save his life, Jason Snadden is watching something remarkable unfold at Lighthouse Mission. The people who once came for help are now coming back to serve.

Snadden knows the journey firsthand. He battled addiction for 15 years before graduating from the Adult and Teen Challenge program. Five years ago, he started volunteering at Lighthouse Mission in his community, and the calling was so strong that he's now the Minister of Community, working there full time.

"I'm living proof that you can get out of this," Snadden says. His six-year sobriety anniversary arrives on February 6, marking a milestone he never imagined during his darkest days.

The mission serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays to community members in need. On a typical Monday, they prepare 300 breakfasts and 500 lunches, including soup and sandwiches. But the food is just the beginning of what happens there.

Something unexpected is transforming the volunteer culture. Nearly every day, someone new walks through the doors wanting to help. Many of them once sat on the other side of the serving line.

The Ripple Effect

The transformation goes beyond individual recovery stories. People arrive hungry or struggling with addiction, receive help, and then return months or years later ready to give back. Some volunteers have found faith during their service, getting baptized and starting fresh chapters of their lives.

Raymond's story captures the mission's impact perfectly. He walked in two years ago struggling with addiction and left with hope. After completing his own recovery journey, he became an addictions counselor and now works at an agency in the area, helping others find the same freedom he discovered.

"It's kind of like making disciples and then them making disciples," Snadden explains. The cycle keeps expanding as each person who finds recovery becomes a beacon for someone else still fighting.

The growing volunteer applications represent more than extra hands to serve meals. They show that recovery creates a desire to give back, that receiving help plants seeds of service, and that communities can heal from within when given the right support.

Anyone interested in joining this community of hope can find volunteer information on the Lighthouse Mission website, where the next chapter of recovery might begin.