Others have already been volunteering there, but with winter coming and the shelters the community built to survive the cold destroyed by the township, they are going to need help winterizing their tents and other structures. Please pray for the residents, all the volunteers who are trying to help out (including HOPE worldwide now), and also for wisdom for those in power to create a social safety net to remove the necessity of this type of encampment.
Brothers and Sisters,
I was praying this week for God to give us a HOPEww project to eventually start a chapter in Ocean County to serve the needs of the community in the area in coordination with church planting. He answered with a great need. Unbeknownst to me there were a few people already looking at a place that a friend suggested to me also this week as a place that needed help and wanted to know if our HOPEww chapter could help. The initial needs is a work that needs a lot more than our team and needs the support of the rest of the church.
It is in Lakewood, NJ, minutes from where our team lives.
Bunting and I visited there yesterday and were in shock to see this in NJ. It is not Appalachia or a third world country but here in NJ. This link will take you to the news article explaining the situation with pictures.
The pictures are not as bad as the place itself.
There are 75 people living in "tents" (if you can call them that).
Their immediate needs in order of priority are:
- Workers to shore up the tarts to wind-stand snow.
- Wood: Seasoned wood to use in wood burning stoves to keep them warm, unseasoned wood produces a lot of smoke and it is hard to ignite when wet. I still can the smoke from being there an hour yesterday.
- Water: Drinking water since water they get from the 6 foot well is not suitable for drinking.
We are all a few paychecks or emergency from being in their situation. I know I have been very close to it in this economy and is making me extremely grateful that I still have a place to live.
Contact me ASAP if you can make it this weekend. As for those who can't please pick up water to donate.
Any ideas on how we can raise money to purchase wood would be greatly appreciated.
Horacio
An interview from The Brian Lehrer Show with community leader Steve Brigham from Lakewood's Tent City.
A brief video allowing a glimpse into life in the Tent City.
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