My wife Heather is a fiber artist. She creates quilts, wall-hangings and even three-dimensional structures based on Jewish texts and social justice themes. And for the last two years, she has been going to homeless shelters through New York City to talk to men, women and children, in order to turn their stories into a piece she is calling “Temporary Shelter.” It’s based on a sukkah, the temporary hut we build each fall on Sukkot, and evokes the Israelites’ wandering in the desert, the time when our ancestors were homeless.

“Temporary Shelter” will be traveling to different churches and synagogues throughout the City in November and December, but there was one church that had a rather unique idea. The Church of St. Francis Xavier in Chelsea wanted to host it, but they weren’t sure they’d be able to because of logistical reasons. Continue reading →

A reorganization of how New York state funds hunger-relief groups has reshaped the region’s food-delivery system for the poor, causing cutbacks in long-established programs while helping other efforts expand.

Catholic Charities Community Services was among the biggest losers in the state Department of Health’s re-evaluation of its food funding formula. The Archdiocese of New York’s program gets $150,000 this year, a 73% cut, forcing the charity to lay off two employees, reduce funding to 18 programs, and slash how much food it gives away. Continue reading →

On Wednesday, I took the trip to the Bronx myself to help out. I also took the opportunity to talk with a few of our network members about what it’s like on the front lines of hunger relief over the holidays. Here is what Cassandra Agredo, Director of Xavier Mission at Chelsea’s Church of St. Francis Xavier, had to say. Continue reading →

The Port Authority’s elevated vehicle ramp keeps the corner of Ninth Ave. and 41st St.—where the Open Door homeless drop-in center stands—shrouded in semi-darkness. Continue reading →

Xavier High School Thanksgiving Food Drive 2009 Continue reading →

With the number of homeless families hitting record highs, a new plan issued by New York City’s Department of Homeless Services in December has advocates for the homeless worried about a cutback in services for the homeless citywide. Continue reading →

No more faith-based shelters. No more emergency drop-in centers. No more Bellevue. In a time of growing need, the city’s homeless are running out of ways to survive. Continue reading →

NEW YORK—Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens) and representatives from City Year, New York Cares, Common Cause NY, and Big Brothers Big Sisters gathered at the Church of St. Francis Xavier on Sunday, Jan. 18. Continue reading →

July 22, 2008 – NY Times City Desk

Dr. Anita Morgenstern and her team of New York chiropractors provide relief for aching backs and spines to a group of people who ordinarily have little access to such care: the homeless. Continue reading →