Recovery Road, founded on May 5, 2020, by Robin Rush and many others in her backyard, focused on feeding the hungry with food and self-esteem. In the middle of Covid, she saw a real need, especially for people who had an addiction. Robin, an addict who has been clean for 13 years, knows firsthand what it is to have an addiction. It is a day-by-day process to stay sober from drugs and alcohol, but with God, anything is possible, she says. Realistically, there is always the possibility of relapse, but with help, some can stay away from drugs and alcohol. There are resources, including having a mentor or a “sponsor” who helps those seeking help from addiction to stay sober and not be physically dependent on drugs and alcohol.

Recovery Road survives month-to-month on financial contributions from individuals and her Church, Crosspointe Anaheim, to help pay the $5,100 rent. Still, it is able to partner with organizations such as Bracken’s Kitchen, Second Harvest, Giving Children Hope, and LDS Church to provide food donations. Food is stored in organized bins, six freezers, and six refrigerators for distribution. Recovery Road also provides toiletries and diapers for distribution to those in need.

Robin does not believe anyone should go hungry. Current addicts, recovering addicts, unhoused, low-income, and senior guests, after making an appointment, come to pick up an ample amount of food depending on their family size. Robin wants to meet the needs of as many people as possible. Her staff of extremely dedicated volunteers is mainly from her recovery family and Crosspointe Church; their mission is to help people by assembling the food and bagging it daily.

There is a wall and table of resource organizations and telephone numbers for services such as help with domestic violence, detox centers, treatment places, sober living, employment, and shelters. The facility has a Serenity Room where one can meditate or meet with their sponsor, which Robin feels is very important in turning one’s life around. Addicts are encouraged to work the Twelve Steps program of Alcoholics Anonymous. There is a barber’s chair in another room for people who need haircuts by volunteer professionals. A computer room is used by those researching and filling out job applications. Meetings are held in a large room with 75 chairs available for seating people. Groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meet here, as do free yoga and community meetings. She says not everyone gets clean and sober the way she did with the 12 Steps.

Some people recover with Church and other programs. Another of her passions is teaching people how to administer Narcan to those who appear to have overdosed. A 10-minute video instruction or a 30-minute slide presentation is available often during the week, and anyone is welcome to attend. Participants are given two boxes of Narcan which contain two supplies in each box to save a life.

To participate in this program, text Robin Rush at 714-723-4197 to find training times.

The Good Samaritan Law legally protects people having and administering Narcan. With the parent’s permission, schools could benefit their students by educating them about the dangers of drug use. Kids need to be aware of the danger of buying drugs off the street or on such places as Snapchat, drugs which in many cases contains the deadly ingredient fentanyl. Knowing that people who sell drugs through Snapchat, in some instances utilizes drones in the delivery of drugs, it is a wonder that they can operate legally. Fentanyl is used medically for pain and in hospital anesthesia, but quality and quantity are controlled in those environments.

Sam Quinones, formerly a Los Angeles Times reporter, researcher, and author of many books about drug addiction, states that drugs on the street are not medically controlled and have varying quantities of fentanyl. There is the imminent danger of killing the user by fentanyl poisoning. Robin’s vision for the future is to get a place, such as a donated building, for Recovery Road. Ideally, a closed church with ample parking and warehouse space for the food pantry. She is in the process of obtaining court-approved courses for anger management, domestic violence, and parenting classes taught by professional volunteers.

Robin has devoted 100% of her life to helping others. Her three children are adults, and her husband is deceased, so Recovery Road is her life. “I wished I had Narcan in my car last week as my daughter and I saw two people sitting on the small island at the intersection of Orangethorpe and Lemon. A young woman was out of it under a blanket, and the guy was giving her a substance he had placed in aluminum foil using a lighter to heat it while she smoked it. Later he held up a sign requesting money. My heart went out to this woman and her need for help–Narcan could have helped in this situation,” Robin said.