New Relief Bus For Homeless Funded And Launched By Liquid Church of NJ And New York City Relief

In addition, over 13,200 pairs of socks collected for distribution to homeless population in Newark

NEWARK, N.J., Jan. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This year, there will be a new bus route across downtown Newark, NJ that hundreds of people will be lining up for but won't get on.  That's because the newly commissioned Relief Bus that will serve downtown Newark is a project of compassion led by the non-profit, New York City Relief, and Liquid Church of New Jersey.  Homeless men, women and children from the streets of Newark will be able to receive free clothing, resources, counseling and a hot meal on a regular basis throughout the year because of the new program.  Over 88% of the homeless population in Essex County are located in Newark, NJ.

For almost 25 years, the New York City Relief organization has been bringing hope and help to the homeless through their mobile homeless resource centers known as The Relief Buses. Thousands of volunteers come to serve every year on these buses offering delicious soup, bread, lemonade or hot chocolate. Through the relationships built, connections to vital resources are offered such as shelter, medical care, detox and alcohol/drug rehabilitation and job information.  Members across all four locations of Liquid Church have raised enough funds to acquire and retrofit a new bus and support staff and volunteer operations for the Newark-focused program.

Besides the food, one of the most asked for items on the streets are new socks and hygiene products.  "After personally spending time with some of our homeless neighbors in Newark, it's clear to me why thick, warm socks are like gold on the streets," said Tim Lucas, lead pastor of Liquid Church, one of NJ's fastest growing Christian churches. 

"Many homeless people aren't always able to bathe as often as they would like, but by simply changing their socks they are able to keep their feet cleaner and significantly more healthy. If they can keep their feet healthy, it helps to keep their whole body more healthy," said Juan Galloway, president and founder of New York City Relief.

"People will be lining up down the street just for a fresh pair of new socks at The Relief Bus. We are so thankful for the generous donations of thousands of socks and the hundreds of volunteers from Liquid Church that will be helping out on The Relief Bus this coming year. This will put smiles on many faces and give them the clear message that first, people care and second, they matter," noted Galloway.

"What I love about the partnership is seeing our people put their faith into action with The Relief Bus to bring hope and help to the nearly 4,000 homeless neighbors here in Essex County," said Lucas.

ABOUT NEW YORK CITY RELIEF

Juan Galloway is founder of New York City Relief, a mobile outreach to the homeless and poor that empowers volunteers to consistently and compassionately connect people in need with resources that lead to life transformation.  Visit www.newyorkcityrelief.org for more details about the NJ-based non-profit organization.

ABOUT LIQUID CHURCH

Liquid Church is one of NJ's fastest-growing Christian churches.  Founded in 2001 by Lead Pastor Tim Lucas, the church's vision is to "take church to the people" with campuses in Morristown, Mountainside, New Brunswick, and Nutley. Over 3,000 people experience Liquid Church's worship services each weekend in New Jersey and around the globe through Church Online. As a part of its global outreach Liquid Church provides clean drinking water to the poorest of the poor with dozens of completed projects in Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Haiti and El Salvador.  More details available at: http://www.LiquidChurch.com   

For members of the media: Online pressroom available at www.liquidchurch.com/media/reliefbus with photos, video and full-text press release. Contact Rich Birch: [email protected] 908-312-0003 or Kenny Jahng: [email protected]  973-500-8536

SOURCE LiquidChurch.com