Van Buren Rescue Mission
An interview with Founder Frank Turner
"We called it Hobo Jungle," Frank Turner, says. "It was north of the present location of the Mission at 201 Drennon in Van Buren, and north of the railroad track. The hoboes would get off the train and make camp there. Down a little trail at the head of Hobo Jungle, is a big cave. A guy named Herman lived in the cave. He had a long stove pipe with a stove inside. His nickname was 'Chick,' but it was pronounced 'Kick.' He was a friendly guy with a long beard. He used to give coffee to us boys back in the late 1920's and early 1930's. We thought it was 'grown-up' to drink coffee."
Frank also shared an interesting tidbit about the origin of the word 'hobo.'
Frank Turner, founder of the Van Buren Rescue Mission, has many delightful stories of years gone by. He shared with us some of the history of the Mission.
Frank says he himself is a recovered alcoholic. He resigned as pastor of a church in the community of Crump Town south of Waldron, Arkansas, in 1969, and he began a jail ministry in Fort Smith. Soon afterward, he and a friend started the Rescue Mission at 309 Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith. "We had little money to begin, but we were able to get the first month's rent free for
cleaning the place up," he says.
Frank says money to fund the Mission came through donations from individuals. Sometimes they would come up to him and shake his hand and leave a $10 or $20 bill to help with the ministry.
He relates a story of a "little man named Gus McDonald who had lived on the river bank in an old car body all his adult life. He could be seen going up and down Garrison getting cigarettes wherever he could find them, or sticking his hand in coin changers in machines," Frank says. "One day he came into our Mission and he never left," Frank continues. "He had diabetes and had one leg removed. He helped us with clean up and ran errands for us, and lived with us until he had to be placed in a nursing home near the end of his life. Everyone always loved Gus," Frank remembers.
Frank says they often held preaching services in the alley behind the Mission on Garrison. Various churches in the community would come and church services were provided two or three times a day.
When the restoration of downtown Fort Smith began approximately 20 years ago, the building they were renting for the Mission was sold. "We had to move," Frank says. "We spent three years on High Street and three years on Towson Avenue in Fort Smith, then we moved to Van Buren where we are now."
Frank says that the present location in Van Buren is the best location yet. "It is at the corner of South Second and Drennen in Van Buren, right next to the railroad track. Trains are a popular mode of travel for those who come. We are close to both 59 and 71 Highways. We are in a little pocket here," Frank continues. "Sometimes people come by in an old car, but often they steal a ride in a freight train."
"We had to close the Women's Mission across the street," Frank says. "We had a nice building for the women, and it's still there. But it just got too expensive to maintain the women's ministry. Women can't just walk off like men can, especially if there are children involved. You have to find a place for women to stay when they leave, and provide money for rent. Our consciences wouldn't let us send the women out on the street again," Frank shares.
The current Mission houses only men. "We have 21 beds. Sometimes they are full and sometimes not," according to Frank. "We had double that amount until a tuberculosis outbreak in the area approximately ten years ago. The Health Department inspected our building and told us that there would be more germs closer to the ceiling, so the top bunks had to be removed. All of the staff had to be inoculated against tuberculosis as well. But we still have plenty of beds for a town our size," Frank says. "The Health Department inspects our kitchen and facilities two or three times a year to make sure we are safe."
We asked Frank what criteria he uses in determining who can stay at the Mission. "If you are hungry, come on in and we will feed you," Frank says. "If you are drunk, you can still have a plate, but you can't stay at the Mission until you are sober. It would jeopardize the safety of all the men to allow someone who is drunk to stay."
Some of those who come are local. They stay for a few days or weeks until they can get straightened out. "My secretary, Jim Sanders, has helped a lot of them by talking to them and offering spiritual help. He really has a good heart," Frank says. (See My turning point for Jim's story.)
"Many of them are transient," according to Frank. "They make the rounds, and eventually come back here. They are restless and can't sit still. When they do come back, many of them say, 'Frank, you've got the best Mission in the whole circuit!'"
Frank is thankful to hear such comments for a job well done, and he says with both pride and humility, "I hear it so often that I am starting to believe it!"
"We can't know for sure how many people are actually turned around by the work we do," Frank says. "What happens in people's lives is such a personal thing. Some of them move on and we can't keep track of them. But for those who stay in the area that we are able to track, close to 100% of those we help are able to go on to make a life for themselves and be self-supporting."
"What has made the difference?" we asked Frank.
Frank didn't hesitate. "The Gospel," he answers. "Watching our staff has also made a difference. I tell them all, 'If you are not treated kindly while you are here, come by the office and talk to me.' None of them ever comes by with that complaint, so I assume they are being treated kindly."
Hours of operation and help needed
Jim Sanders provided the following information about the mission:
The Mission is open 24 hours a day. There is a house-man who lives at the Mission, and he has an assistant who also lives there. Those who need help, even in the middle of the night, are not turned away. "Just knock on the door, someone will answer. It may take a little time," Jim says. Frank opens the front office at 8:00 a.m. and stays till around noon. Jim comes in the afternoons and stays until 5:00 p.m. The Mission also has a cook on the staff and Frank's sons Eddie and Larry also come in and out of the Mission working with books, the computer, etc.
Each Thursday Frank's daughters manage a garage sale behind the Mission. Donations of useable clothing, furniture, or merchandise are always welcome. Money raised by the sale is used to support the Mission. Some of the items received in donations are given to needy people as well. "Many people bring items as they are ready to discard them," Jim says.
Non-perishable food items are always needed. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, Jim or other volunteers from the Mission go to PTA meetings and other groups and share the need. "Last year we received two truck loads of canned goods and non-perishable food that the High School in Cedarville, Arkansas, had collected for us. That helped carry us through summer. Summer is the lowest time for donations, but it picks up again during the winter," Jim says.
For more information, call the Van Buren Rescue Mission at 474-4163 or stop by at 201 Drennen.
See Jim Sanders' sidebar interview here.
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