Melesha Onuma

With a background in healthcare, Melesha has worked with people all throughout her career. She has a heart for people and a passion to serve! She loves working with people and being able to help others. It brings her great joy to be able to serve here in ministry at the Raleigh Rescue Mission.

Melesha first learned about Raleigh Rescue Mission as a result of being a client 26 years ago in 1997 as she herself experienced homelessness. She can see how much the program has evolved since then and is certain that God has a plan for my entry through the Mission’s front doors.

She worked for hospice for 7 years and during her time in a different ministry, she would frequently look at the Mission’s website for an opportunity to come back to the Raleigh Rescue Mission as the Lord was speaking to her heart to go back and give back in some way.

One day while she was checking the website, she saw a part-time position available and felt that the Lord was calling her to ministry at that moment as a way to give back. Melesha’s initial plan was to stay and work at Hospice fulltime and work at the RRM part time, but God had other plans. Her part-time plan turned into God’s fulltime plan here at the RRM where she currently works as the Women’s Ministry Supervisor.

“God came to see about me in that Raleigh Rescue common area 26 years ago and I now get to come back and give back in Ministry and to be able to help someone else and encourage them that this is not their end, this is just their beginning!”

Melesha has five wonderful children and currently 6 grandchildren and growing! She loves spending time with her family, traveling, and considers the beach her happy place.