New Jersey Family Helps Feed NYC Homeless

(Newswire.net — January 23, 2015) – According to the Coalition for the Homeless, in recent years, homelessness in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s.  One family has decided to make a difference.  Back in 1992, Mark Landgrebe started to feed the homeless every Saturday night from his car.  Since then, he and his wife Anna, now run Homeless Bus.  This family run organization, based in Towaco, New Jersey, helps to feed over 200 men, women and children in NYC using their own funds and donations from friends, families and local businesses from New Jersey. Every Saturday night they go into NYC to feed the homeless.  Mark says, “At the beginning, I started feeding the hungry from my own car, purchasing and paying for all items on my own”.  With the number of homeless people increasing, he purchased a 17 passenger bus to better serve his needs, as he and his wife, Anna now feed close to 200 people weekly.  

Their mission:  providing quick and easy simple food options, warm socks and personal sized toiletries to homeless individuals on the streets of New York City every Saturday night. 

The Coalition for the Homeless states that each night, thousands of unsheltered homeless people sleep on New York City streets, in the subway system, and in other public spaces.  This is simply unacceptable to Mark and Anna Landgrebe and although they cannot provide these people with shelter or daily meals, if they can feed them even one night a week, then they feel that they are  making a difference.  “It is all about them”, Anna says,”it has never been about us.  We are simply a family looking to make a difference in the world.” 

“Since we have seen firsthand that the number of homeless people is increasing, we have begun accepting donations, both monetary as well as specific food items, etc. from individuals, families, schools, restaurants, business owners, and religious and civic organizations throughout the country”  states Landgrebe.  “Monetary donations are always welcome but some people like to hold drives and help in other ways”. 

The Landgrebes are now facing their own challenge to continue feeding the homeless.  They first purchased a used bus 12 years ago but it died as they went through the toll heading into NYC.  Their current used bus of 3 years is now costing more money to maintain than ever before.  “We are looking for ways to continue to help the homeless and we cannot afford to purchase a bus completely on our own.  We already subsidize food and other items”.   

If you would like to help the Landgrebes out, there is a GoGetFunding page set up so they can continue to bring simple food options, warms socks and other necessities to the homeless in NYC.  http://gogetfunding.com/project/help-us-replace-our-bus 

Please LIKE them on Facebook or check out their website, http://www.homelessbus.org/ 

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