Some of Newark’s largest churches and Mosques have banded together to form a faith-based coalition, in what has become one of the city’s largest hurricane relief efforts.

Hundreds of boxes packed with essential supplies fill Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church, the hub of Operation Recovery Newark. From there, supplies are distributed to churches and other locations throughout the city, known as points of light.  Dr. David Jefferson Sr., Pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, is one of the organizers of the relief effort. He says the coalition was formed out of a sense of unity and a need for survival.

“I think we’ve given people hope, and I think people are starting to believe that their leaders can indeed lead them out of this, that we are going to get past this and that we have a game plan to do so.”

Together the effort has served over 100,000 meals, and has received donations from as far away as St. Louis.

To donate or volunteer visit www.newhopenewark.org or call (973) 622-4547