MIHM, Rick

Being researched

Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald

MIHM, Rich, (Dubuque, IA, -- ). In 1991 Rick Mihm was the reverend at NATIVITY CHURCH in Dubuque. (1) He changed assignments and around 1993 began counseling LORAS COLLEGE students over the next three years. In 1995 accompanied by Mary Moody of the college's peace and justice center, Mihm took seventeen students to Washington, D.C. during Holy Week to live with and help hungry and homeless people. They worked in a soup kitchen where after a meal, the destitute had to leave the only warm place they knew. (2)

In 1997 to the dismay of the school and students who often considered him more of a friend than a priest, he took an indefinite leave of absence from the priesthood. He was expected to go to what he called a 'hermitage' where he would think and pray about the direction of his life. Although Mihn's decision came as a surprise to many, those who knew him realized it had come after great consideration and prayer. In his Advent homily, Mihm said that he identified strongly with John the Baptist whose understanding of himself was in his relationship with Jesus Christ. (3)

By 1999 Mihm and his wife, Mary Moody, were helping to operate Hope House, a CATHOLIC WORKER HOUSE. In addition to his duties there, he was involved in peace demonstrations against bombing being done in Yugoslavia. (4) He has said the late Ruth Hardie met him as he walked home one evening and suggested he would make an excellent director for the Rescue Mission. After discussing the idea with his wife, Mihm took the job which would translate into years of challenge and growth for himself as well as the DUBUQUE RESCUE MISSION.

When he started as the executive director on October 1, 2007 the rescue mission had four staff, plus Mihm. When the drop-in center opened, the mission would have 26. Nearly all of those staff were current or former residents, a practice Mihm expanded under his tenure and that became a hallmark of the rescue mission’s service.

Mihm's tenure as executive director was marked by innovation. To only mention only a few of his ideas, while directing the Hope House, the Mihms shared the bounty of their own garden with those in the shelter. With the potential of establishing gardens for the Mission, Mihn began efforts in 2007 to clear the land behind the building of trash. With city donations of soil and the addition of a greenhouse, progress towards providing fresh food in meals became possible. (5) Encouraging public participation in the shelter included area businesses, like FINLEY HOSPITAL (THE) and Prudential brought employees to the mission on a scheduled basis, to serve the noon meal to clients (6) In 2010 Richard and Brenda Hartig who administered the Hartig Charitable Foundation with three Loras students established the Mission Bicycle Shop which employed homeless men. (7) In 2021 the Rescue Mission opened a new type of food truck. The Kindness Cafe provided job experience to the men served by the mission. Operating from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the cafe offered an $8.00 lunch--sandwich, chips, and a drink. In addition to teaching what it took to operate the business, the Cafe earned enough to pay for four lunches for those in need. (8) Throughout his tenure, he was quick to praise the other of other agencies in their food distribution programs. Expansion of the Mission into other locations was unprecedented. When Rick Mihm "retired" in 2023 after 16 years the role of executive director had expanded as dramatically as the physical foot print of the organization in Dubuque.

“He really made an effort to have a community, not just a homeless shelter or a food program,” said Ashley Noonan, regional homeless coordinator at Community Solutions of Eastern Iowa and a former garden manager at the mission. Mihm served on CSEI’s board since 2019. (9)

Source:

1. Gilson, Donna, "You People Serve Priests, Parishes," Telegraph Herald, January 26, 1991, p. 5A

2. Krapfl, Mike, "Students Work for Homeless," Telegraph Herald, May 2, 1995, p. 3

3. Jerde, Lyn, "Loras Campus Minister Takes Leave of Absence," Telegraph Herald, December 16, 1996, p. 2

4. Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Dubuquers Gather to Sing, Pray for Peace," Telegraph Herald, March 26, 1999, p. 1

5. Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Man on a Mission; Grow Fresh Healthy Produce," Telegraph Herald, September 4, 2008, p.3

6. Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Generosity Sets Wheels in Motion for Bike Repairs," Telegraph Herald, April 24, 2010, p. 3

7. Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Finley Workers Make a Homeless Call," Telegraph Herald, March 18, 2010, p. 3

8. Editorial. "Food Truck Serves Others at the Kindness Cafe," Telegraph Herald, June 18, 2021, p. 4

9. Nevans-Pederson, Mary, "Longtime Dubuque Rescue Mission Director Announces Plans to Retire," Telegraph Herald, February 28, 2023, p. 1A