MIDTOWN, Manhattan — In these COVID-19 times, so many people are suffering so much.
None more so, perhaps, than the growing number of homeless living on city streets.
One homeless outreach organization, Backpacks for the Street, is stepping up their mission to help the city’s most vulnerable population.
“The need is greater, the fear is greater and the resources they need are not out there,” Jeffrey Newman, the president and CEO of Backpacks for the Street, told PIX11 News.
The co-founders of Backpacks for the Street had barely parked the van on West 32nd Street in the shadow of Penn Station, when homeless men and women approached in need of the items they were handing out, food, hard warmers and COVID-19 supplies of masks, hand sanitizers and gloves.
“I think it’s great,” a homeless man named Brad told PIX11 News. “There should be more organizations to help us."
Backpacks for the Street, like so many other homeless outreach organizations, has seen an explosion of need to help the homeless because of the pandemic. Since it began in March, volunteers in this grassroots organization have handed out more than 11,000 knapsacks, compared to the last two years prior, where they gave away 4,000 in all.
Since Christmas Eve alone, 500 backpacks have been given away.
“A lot of people got kicked out of their homes because they can’t pay the rent because they are not working, a lot of them are undocumented,” Jayson Connor, co-founder of Backpacks For The Street, told PIX11 News. “The population has exploded and no one’s helping them."
The volunteers worry that the numbers of homeless on the streets will be growing even more in the coming days because of the stalled stimulus talks and the possible end to the rent eviction moratorium.
And with the homeless not being allowed to huddle for warmth in Grand Central, Penn Station and with so many restaurants shut down and shelters Overcrowded, their options are so limited.
That’s why many volunteer.
“If I’m sitting at home teleworking, I think helping other people who are less fortunate is incredibly important,” Sophia Filippone said.
Volunteers are also empathetic towards the circumstances of the homeless.
“I could be living next to these people soon,” Kyle Robinson said. “So it really matters to me to help and do something about the welfare of people around me."
Backpacks for the Street relies on individual donors, no public money and they are always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, you can e-mail volunteer@bfts.org.
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December 27, 2020 at 06:44AM
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Backpacks for the Street help homeless at the holidays - WPIX 11 New York
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