Bulletin Board
The place where you can stay up to date with the latest events, stories, news, and opportunities for our City Relief community.
Lessons From Kilimanjaro: When the Only Way Down Is Up (Week 3)
The storm had passed by morning, but the mountain hadn't made any promises.
The sky above camp was wide and blue, almost offensively calm. If you hadn't been there the night before, you would assume everything was fine, but my body knew better.
The violent shaking was gone, but I wasn't restored. My appetite had disappeared, my head felt heavy, and my legs felt hollow — not weak exactly, just empty.
Lessons from Kilimanjaro - What a Storm and a Lost Bag Taught Me About Vulnerability (Week 2)
Last week I wrote about rhythm — how the mountain forces you to slow down.
This week is about the storm.
Lessons From Kilimanjaro - Why I Climbed Africa’s Highest Mountain (Week 1)
I didn't climb Mount Kilimanjaro because I needed an adventure.
I climbed because I lead an organization that depends on generosity.
When a group of nonprofit leaders invited me to join a fundraising expedition up Africa's highest peak, I saw it first through a strategic lens. If shared challenge inspires generosity, maybe this could help more people move from crisis toward stability. Maybe it could open doors. Maybe it could strengthen City Relief's work across New York and New Jersey.
The Growing Faces of Homelessness
I hope 2026 is beginning with a sense of hope and anticipation for you. A new year always invites reflection—and for us at City Relief, it also brings clarity. After a brief pause between Christmas and New Year’s, our team is back on the streets of Newark, Paterson, and New York City, stepping into what we believe is a pivotal year.
The Power of Not Walking By
This week, I want to go a step further and talk about how loneliness is interrupted not just by noticing people who are struggling, but by choosing to engage with them.
The Week I Became the Good Shepherd (Guest Newsletter from Dan Sadlier)
On the morning of October 30th, 2024, our apartment—usually alive with six kids—was quiet. Around 8 a.m., our son Judah went to check on his oldest sister, our adopted daughter, "M." She wasn't there. I walked upstairs, assuming she was out with the dog or in the shower. But her room was empty, and her phone, something no 21-year-old ever leaves behind, sat on the table. Within minutes, our quiet morning became every parent's nightmare.
Experts in Gratitude
Today is the annual tradition of gathering with loved ones, eating a ridiculous amount of food, and acknowledging the good things that we experience throughout the year. Gratitude is an exercise, not a feeling. And frankly, I'm out of shape. I don't know about you, but I struggle to remain "thankful" on a day-to-day basis.
6 Cups of Soup and a Gut Punch I Won’t Forget
A few years ago, during an outreach in Manhattan, a young man approached me on the sidewalk. I'll call him Leon. He was soft-spoken and polite. A little worn out. He asked if we had anything to eat, so I helped him with a cup of our famous vegetable soup—made fresh that morning in our 80-gallon soup kettle.
Natural Disasters Don’t Discriminate, But the Recovery Does
I met him a few months ago in Harlem. He was in his fifties — well dressed, articulate, and looking for work. A proud Howard University graduate, he once worked in their IT department. After getting married, he moved to New York City and built a life. But then came a divorce, and not long after, a fire in his apartment building that started when a neighbor left the stove on overnight.
After the Spotlight Fades: Why Disaster Recovery Is Hardest for Those Without Homes
Flash floods recently swept through parts of New Jersey and New York, and in Texas, catastrophic waters have tragically claimed at least 134 lives, with more than 100 people still missing in the Hill Country. These events make headlines for a moment, but once the cameras leave, the real challenge begins.
When Summer Heat Turns Deadly
The summer heat has officially arrived. Last week, our team was out in Chelsea Park where hundreds of guests crowded around our drink stations and Guest Services tent, grateful for something cold to drink and a chance to talk with someone who could help create an action plan for their most urgent needs.
Week 8: You Don’t Need a Degree to Change a Life
Over the past eight weeks, we've explored the complex intersection of mental illness and homelessness—from the fallout of deinstitutionalization to the trauma of street life, from criminalization to the healing power of community. We've looked at policy failures, cultural gaps, and personal stories.
Week 7: We Heal in Community
Let's talk about the kind of healing that can't be prescribed.
When we think about recovery, we tend to focus on professional care—therapy, medication, treatment plans. And yes, those things matter. A lot. But for many people experiencing homelessness and mental illness, recovery doesn't begin in a clinic. It begins with connection. It begins when someone looks you in the eye and says, "I see you. You matter."