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NYCR History

The New York City Relief story began back in the 1980s with a successful entrepreneur living in Dallas, Texas. Richard Galloway did not know how dramatically his life would change when he read Isaiah 58:6-12 and was challenged by God's concern for the poor and the oppressed.

Richard came to check out the bus in 1988.

Richard came to checkout the bus in 1988.

One day, shortly after reading the passage and being so challenged with the vision to do something to reach out to the poor and homeless, Richard called Alastair Geddes, then the President of Christ for the Nations Bible Institute on Long Island. Alastair offered him an old school bus and invited Richard to come and lead a mobile outreach. Richard and Dixie came to visit and decided to take on the challenge of converting the bus to serve the homeless in New York City.

Within a month, the Galloways made the move to New York because they recognized an opportunity to put into action the challenge of Isaiah 58:6-12. There was no funding for the organization, no salary for Richard to draw to support his family... only a vision and a few people committed to making it a reality.

The Vision Becomes a Reality

New York City Relief began its operations in February 1989, using donated office space. The Galloways mobilized a team of volunteers and spent hundreds of hours converting a 1971 GMC Bus into a mobile resource center to serve the homeless-The Relief Bus. The Relief Bus contains a counseling office equipped with a database of resources, a serving area to distribute soup, bread, and drinks, and a medical clinic that is now used to distribute food and blankets. The Relief Bus hit the streets on January 17, 1990 and has been faithfully reaching out ever since. New York City Relief staff members raise a large portion of their own financial support.

Reaching Out With Hope and Help


	NYCR was recognized as one of former President George Bush's Thousand Points of Light.

In those early years and continuing today, staff and volunteers come from as far away as England and Finland and from across the United States. Scores of "Weekend Warriors" have come for an intense, community service experience. Each of our staff, interns, and volunteers are an integral part in carrying out the mission to take hope to the streets.

In our first 10 years of service, The Relief Bus Outreach accomplished the following:

Directly distributed 1.3 million servings of food and beverages at no cost to those in need
Connected 29,951 people to resources of hope ranging from employment assistance to drug rehabilitation
Mobilized and trained 9,654people in volunteer community service.

New york city Relief was recognized by former President Bush in 1992 as one of the Thousand Points of Light. New York City Relief has also been recognized by Toyota, the New York Mets, featured in a Public Service Announcement aired on the local ABC affiliate, and featured on both Channel 2 and Channel 9 in New York City. NYCR has been heralded by the New York City Council, "as a vital provider of help and guidance to thousands of our city's homeless..."

Isaiah 58, A Bus, and A Hope Center

In 1999, New York City Relief entered a new chapter in our history as we began to expand beyond The Relief Bus Outreach. New York City Relief's base of operations was located at Calvary Tabernacle Church in Elizabeth, NJ. Out of this relationship, NYCR and Calvary Tabernacle began planning The Hope Center, a joint effort to create a community resource center modeled after our Relief Bus Outreach.

The Hope Center is a community resource center which provides vital services to meet needs of low-income, unemployed, substance abusers, homeless, and others in need of assistance in Elizabeth, Union County, and surrounding localities. Our vision is to act as a bridge to connect people in need with resources that will bring hope and real change in their lives. Please visit The Hope Center page on this site for more information.

Relief Bus Video