Mobile Loaves and Fishes is helping to provide Thanksgiving meals for the homeless.“What do I want the audience to do with the message?”-They are asking the audience to make a donation of $30, $60, $90 or more. The message overall is clear, but the inclusion of the Community First!

program is confusing. This program helps homeless people off the streets and offers them permanent housing in used RV homes. This seems like a completely separate plan than giving the homeless Thanksgiving meals. The letter mixes up the messages and the audience might not understand who or what their donation will be going to.

5. Timing and Context: One of the main messages of this letter is to help the organization provide Thanksgiving meals for the homeless. They ask that during this time of gathering with family and friends and giving thanks, to join the Mobile Loaves and Fishes “family” by providing nourishing meals to the people who need them the most. This timing is very effective. The holiday season allows people to reflect on their lives and be thankful for what they have. And in realizing how lucky they are, giving back to the less fortunate is a way to get in the holiday spirit.

6. Audience Participation: Mobile Loaves and Fishes doesn’t seem to employ any audience participation in the form of user generated content. The only audience participation they would encourage would be to join their organization. They rely on volunteers to make food, attend events, organize activities, and more. But based on this letter, all they would like from the audience is donations.

7. Suggestions for Action: Attached to this letter is a rip-off form that includes different options for action. If the person is interested in donating money, they will check the box with the payment option that is best for them. For example the donor could donate $30 to provide 10 meals, $60 to provide 20 meals, and so on. They then enclose a check or include credit card information, seal it up in the envelope provided, and send it directly to Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

8. Content and Structure of Messages: The story of Ellalein qualifies as both an example and an emotional appeal when discussing the letter’s persuasive devices.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes used this story first as an example because it shows how their services have changed someone’s life. Ellalein was driven away from her family and onto the streets after she developed alcoholism due to her husband being killed in Vietnam. The story tells how the Community First! program allowed her to get a home, regain her life, and reunite with her daughters. It suggests that there are

many people just like Ellalein that need help, and that your donations will make the difference.

This story is also an emotional appeal. At the end of the story, it says that due to health issues, Ellalein passed away recently. “She left this earth with her daughter at her side and was surrounded by the love of her Mobile Loaves and Fishes family – a far cry from the loneliness of the streets she had experienced for so many years.” This is appealing to the reader’s emotions. It is sad because she had such a hard life, but it had a happy ending because this organization made all the difference.