The Bowery Mission facts for kids
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Flagship location at 227-229 Bowery.
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| Established | 1879 |
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| Type | private nonprofit |
| Headquarters | New York City |
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Region
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New York metropolitan area |
| Services | basic needs and emergency care, homeless services, residential programs |
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Key people
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James Winans, President & CEO |
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Parent organization
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Christian Herald Association |
The Bowery Mission is a special nonprofit organization. It helps people in New York City who are experiencing homelessness. The mission provides hot meals, safe places to sleep, and faith-based programs. Its goal is to help New Yorkers who are homeless or struggling to live better lives.
It is one of the oldest nonprofit groups in New York City. The Bowery Mission still offers hot meals and chapel services three times a day. This happens at its main building at 227 Bowery in Manhattan, New York City.
Since the 1990s, The Bowery Mission has grown a lot. It started as a soup kitchen and a men's shelter. Now, it offers programs and services at six different locations around New York City.
Contents
What The Bowery Mission Does
Help for Adults
At its downtown locations, The Bowery Mission gives hot meals, clothes, and safe places to sleep. These are basic needs and emergency services for people who are hungry or homeless. At its uptown locations, The Bowery Mission has special programs. These programs help adults in tough situations. They help people reach their personal goals for life and work. They also help them overcome challenges to live on their own.
Programs for Kids
The Bowery Mission also has programs just for children. These include Mont Lawn Summer Camp and City Camp. These camps give kids from low-income areas chances to learn leadership skills. They also help kids build new abilities and grow as people. Mont Lawn City Camp is in East Harlem and the South Bronx. It offers classes, tutoring, and mentoring all year long for children and teens.
History of The Bowery Mission
The Bowery Mission was started in 1879. It was founded by Reverend Albert Gleason Ruliffson and Ellen Dorchester Ruliffson. It was one of the first rescue missions in the United States. Before finding its main home, the Mission moved to a few different spots in the Bowery area.
In the 1880s, Fanny Crosby, a famous hymn writer, often visited the Mission. She would give talks and write new hymns for their yearly celebrations.
In 1895, Dr. Louis Klopsch bought the Mission. He owned the Christian Herald newspaper. He saved the Mission from financial trouble. It became one of many charities supported by his newspaper. Klopsch became the president. The Mission was officially named Bowery Mission and Young Men's Home in 1897. Sarah J. Bird was an important board member. She was known as "the Mother of the Bowery Mission" because she helped the group for many years.
In 1900, John Greener Hallimond took over the Mission. He brought in many new ideas. He opened a home for women in Brooklyn. He also started a Free Labor Bureau in 1908. This bureau helped people find farm jobs outside the city. He also began the famous breadline in 1902. This gave free bread to many people.
In 1956, The Bowery Mission was shown in a film called On the Bowery. The film showed life in a part of New York City where many homeless people lived. In the movie, George Bolton, who was in charge of the Mission then, spoke to a group of men in the Mission's chapel.
The 227 Bowery Building
The Bowery Mission moved to its current home at 227 Bowery in 1909. On June 26, 2012, this building became a New York City landmark. This means it is a very important historic building.
The building was first built in 1876 for Jonas Stolts, who made coffins. It was designed in a style called Neo-Grec.
In 1908–09, the building was changed for the Mission. The front was updated to look like an old English Inn. Beautiful stained glass windows were added on the second floor. These windows show a story from the Bible called the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The inside was also changed to look like a Gothic Revival chapel.
In the 1970s, the Mission's front doors were painted their famous red color. Frank Grande, a man who had been helped by the Mission, chose the color. He said red was chosen to "symbolize Christ's blood as the entrance to life."
In 1980, the Mission bought the building next door, 229 Bowery. It joined the two buildings together. The Mission still gives meals and chapel services three times a day at this location. You do not have to attend the chapel service to get a meal.
The Bowery Mission Today
Starting in the 2000s, the Mission began to grow even more. It opened new homes for adults in different parts of the city.
In November 2017, the New York City Rescue Mission joined The Bowery Mission. Its building at 90 Lafayette Street still offers emergency shelter and services. People can walk in and get a bed there.
In 2020, The Bowery Mission provided a lot of help. They gave out over 429,500 meals. They also provided over 104,000 nights of shelter. They offered 67,500 emergency showers and 27,600 pieces of clothing. In 2019, The Bowery Mission received over $7.3 million worth of donated food, clothes, and other items.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bowery Mission kept helping people. They provided shelter and housing for almost 325 people every night.
Mont Lawn Camp Connection
- Further information: Mont Lawn Camp
The Bowery Mission was one of many charities once supported by the Christian Herald newspaper.
In 1894, money left over from a food drive was used to start a children's home. This home was called Mont Lawn and was in Upper Nyack, New York. It helped children from families living in the Lower East Side. The camp stayed there for 69 years. Then, in 1961, it moved to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.
After the Christian Herald newspaper stopped publishing in 1992, Mont Lawn Camp continued. The Bowery Mission took over owning and running the camp.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New York County, New York
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
In Spanish: Bowery Mission para niños
