Andrew Powles

Review of The Bowery Mission & Kids With...

When I was homeless, I was living at a shelter tha...

When I was homeless, I was living at a shelter that was a few blocks from here. The food at my shelter was vile, so I ate plenty of meals here.

The food was hit or miss mainly, but it was always something edible. Sometimes the portions were small, but they feed ALOT of people here. All food is donated and prepared onsite. And never once did I get sick eating the food here, unlike the shelter that I was living at.

Some of the clientele were street homeless, so sometimes you had to deal with all those issues.

They also distribute clothing a couple of days per week. Its a LONG wait, but it is worth it if you need clothing. I got a few REALLY nice outfits here - all well known name brands. If you tell them that you are looking for work, they will do their best to put an outfit together that you could wear to interviews.

For the street homeless, they also provide showers for them once or twice a week. They also have doctors that volunteer their time once a week that provide free care - Medicaid not required.

They also provide rehab programs and shelter services. I'm not too familiar with them - Its not a facility that NYC sends people to. Its a Christian organization.

NOTE: They ask that you attend the one hour chapel service before each meal, but they don't require you to. However if you don't attend, it will take longer for you to be fed - they send people to the cafeteria row by row.

The chapel services are always different, and some are very enjoyable. Sometimes Amish or Mennonite groups will come in from out of state and will sing Christian songs as well as preach.

I had strayed from the Lord for years, and the chapel services really helped me to reconnect. For that alone I will always be grateful.