The Bowery Mission Celebrates Its 139th Thanksgiving Week

During its 139th Thanksgiving celebration, The Bowery Mission will serve 18,000 meals over seven days - 9,000 on Thanksgiving Day alone - across nine campuses and with 25 partners in all five boroughs of New York City and in Newark, NJ. With more than 67,000 people experiencing homelessness in New York City during this holiday - nearly one in every 128 New Yorkers - The Bowery Mission's services are more important than ever.

On Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 22) at the Bowery campus (227 Bowery between Prince and Rivington Streets), 500 volunteers will serve traditional turkey dinners to 1,800 guests in the Mission's century?old chapel filled with music and festive decorations. Meals will be served every hour on the hour from 8:00am to 6:00pm. Meals are scheduled for 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 5:00 pm, and 6:00pm. In addition to a turkey dinner, each guest will receive a new coat, and a "blessing bag" including socks, a winter hat, gloves, and hygiene items.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, November 19 at the Tribeca campus (formerly New York City Rescue Mission; 90 Lafayette Street between Walker and White Streets), 100 volunteers will serve meals to 400 guests at 1:30pm, 3:00pm, 4:30pm and 6:00pm.

On Tuesday, November 20 at the Newark campus (formerly Goodwill Rescue Mission; 79 University Place between Orange and James Streets), 40 volunteers will serve meals and distribute coats to 100 guests between 11:30am-1:30pm.

Throughout the week, 800 volunteers will prepare and serve 780 turkeys, 675 pies, 7,200 pounds of potatoes, 1,800 pounds of vegetables and 2,400 pounds of stuffing. The food, coats, gifts and financial support have been donated by generous New Yorkers - individuals, companies, foundations and congregations.

The Bowery Mission has served homeless and hungry New Yorkers since the 1870s. Each year, The Bowery Mission provides more than 653,500 hot meals, 167,300 nights of shelter, 46,400 articles of clothing, 13,300 showers and 1,300 onsite medical, dental and optometry exams. Each meal and every service is an invitation to residential and community programs that help clients make progress. Each year, the Mission serves 350 adults in its residential recovery programs and 800 more at the Community Hope Resource Center. To empower children to thrive and succeed, The Bowery Mission also offers year?round opportunities for enrichment through City Camp, culminating in summer camp for 900 children in the Poconos Region of Pennsylvania.

In order to more effectively combat the epidemic of homelessness in the New York metro area, New York City Rescue Mission and Goodwill Rescue Mission have joined forces with The Bowery Mission. Together, as one organization, we are offering new hope for a sustainable solution by sharing resources, collaboratively fundraising, and providing an enhanced continuum of care to men, women and children. As a result, we are saying "yes" to more people, more often, with better services.

www.bowery.org