New Jersey Camp For Homeless Children Raising Funds For Bus Repairs After Catalytic Converter Was Stolen – CBS New York

ELIZABETH, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — A summer time camp for homeless youngsters in New Jersey is attempting to get again on the street after an costly a part of their faculty bus was stolen.

Summer time camp simply began this week at Bernice’s Place, a program in Union County run by the Elizabeth Coalition to Home the Homeless.

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It’s for youths 5-12 years outdated who’re homeless or housing insecure.

“It’s actually enjoyable for me to return right here and have a bit enjoyable and make associates,” 11-year-old Isabel Reyes stated.

“We go on journeys and do enjoyable stuff,” 10-year-old Semaj Corridor stated.

“They get to kinda get some place that’s steady in order that they will type of stability out instability they’re coping with at house,” stated Linda Flores-Tober, govt director of the Elizabeth Coalition to Home the Homeless.

However on the primary day of camp, their yellow bus wouldn’t work, they usually found its catalytic converter had been stolen.

The camp makes use of the bus to choose up the 50 or so children every day and drop them off, in addition to take them on discipline journeys every week.

“Whoever did it didn’t care about that. They only have been solely wanting on the cash. That’s an actual disgrace,” Flores-Tober instructed CBS2’s Ali Bauman.

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Police nationwide, and particularly in New Jersey, have been warning just lately about a growing number of thieves stealing catalytic converters from vehicles as a result of they’re made with treasured metals.

“Now the bus is sitting within the restore store ready for a catalytic converter as a result of they’re briefly provide as a result of so lots of this stuff get stolen,” Flores-Tober stated.

RELATED STORY: Thieves Going To Great Lengths To Steal Car Catalytic Converters, Law Enforcement Warns In NYC & Across U.S.

For now, they’re taking children backwards and forwards every day in a minivan and renting a bus as soon as every week for discipline journeys.

“We went to the arcade, and we additionally went swimming,” Isabel stated.

“It’s gonna be like a $2,000 restore, plus $1,000 every week for six weeks or till it will get repaired to take the children on their journeys,” Flores-Tober stated.

That’s a steep price ticket for a camp that’s utterly free for households.

“They didn’t steal from the coalition, they didn’t steal from the employees, they stole from these children and that basically makes me indignant,” Flores-Tober stated.

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The camp has nowhere else to show however to donations to lift the cash for repairs. If you want to donate, click here.