T he Relief Bus R e port

These Things We Do...That Others May Live.

DEMAND FOR FOOD INCREASES IN NYC

This summer, temperatures have skyrocketed to 108 degrees on the streets of New York City! While the heat has been brutal for staff and volunteers, it has been even more so for the homeless and destitute. Many come to the bus for cold drinks to cool off, but demand has also greatly increased for food. Recently our staff Evelyn eating some soup in the Bronx has had to increase the amount of soup, bread and fruit that we bring on our outreaches. A poll by the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, a national research group, shows that 47% of people living in the Bronx are anxious about becoming homeless due to poverty, unemployment and lack of education. The South Bronx is the poorest congressional district in America. New Yorkers are telling our staff daily that they are afraid of losing their apartments soon because of social service programs that are being eliminated. The Relief Bus goes to the Bronx every week helping to aide not only the homeless, but those who fear becoming homeless as well. For many people, the bus is a lifeline to supplement their diet so that they dont have to choose between eating or paying the rent. Now is the time to respond with compassion. Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19:7

Ernis eating in the North Bronx

The increased demand for food has exceeded the allotted budget. The Relief Bus needs help to respond with provision. Will you consider giving to feed hungry families and individuals in their time of need? Mail your taxdeductible gift in the enclosed envelope or GIVE ONLINE at www.reliefbus.org. THANK YOU!

School kids stop for a cold drink

Joe Rogo: People Know the Bus Will Be There

Joseph Rogoshewski was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ as the youngest of three in a poor family. His parents divorced when he was three years old, and he was raised by his grandmother. She however offered no discipline, and Joe started using drugs at age 8. At age 15 his uncle supplied him with free marijuaJoe making some delicious soup na. Joe then started doing construction to support his habit and worked for a carpenters union. What followed was 33 years of partying. He went from drinking to marijuana to crack cocaine, which took over his life. Joe hit rock bottom and attempted suicide. He dropped a plugged-in lamp into the full bathtub he lay in, where he was prepared to be electrocuted. Fortunately, Joes attempt was unsuccessful. God had other plans for him to live and not die. Joe had volunteered at The Relief Bus on and off for 6 years, serving food to the poor & homeless. Even when he was in the middle of his own problems, he liked serving others, especially the kids that came to the bus. The Relief Bus planted a seed in him during the time he volunteered, and he knew that unlike others in his life, The Relief Bus wasnt going to push him away. Due to his addiction, Joe lost his job and was going to become homeless. Once again, Joe made plans to end his life, this time by jumping off the Serving kids on the bus Goethals Bridge where death was certain. The hour before he carried out his plan, he decided to call former Relief Bus Outreach Team Leader, Steve Pastor. Steve picked Joe up and put him on a bus to Syracuse Teen Challenge, a mens rehabilitation and discipleship program. Without the sense of love he received from The Relief Bus, and the follow up on the part of the outreach staff, he may not have been able to make the step to go into the rehabilitation program. Joe finished the one-year program, remains clean, and has now been working with Teen Challenge for 17 months. He lives next door to Teen Challenge and volunteers by counseling other men that are in the same desperate situation he was. The Relief Bus was there to set Joe on a new path toward life transformation and he will never be the same. >>>Go to www.reliefbus.org/videogallery.php to watch the video of the testimony Joe shared at this years Relief Bus Banquet.
Joe sharing his testimony

Please join our monthly support team today for $25, $50, $100 or more so that The Relief Bus can continue for another 20 years, working to transform the communities we serve in. All gifts are tax-deductible. Make your check out to The Relief Bus and mail in or give online at www.reliefbus.org. Thanks for caring.
The Relief Bus, P.O. Box 64 Times Square P.O., New York, NY 10108 800.736.2773, www.reliefbus.org, info@reliefbus.org Facebook.com/thereliefbus Twitter.com/thereliefbus