New York City volunteers make sure the homeless don't feel left out during holidays

Carrying backpacks filled to the brim with food, toiletries, flashlights, and first aid kits, the volunteers with Together Helping Others take to the streets of New York City once every two weeks, bringing these vital necessities to those who need them the most.

Husbands Jeffrey Newman and Jayson Conner started this nonprofit in 2018, and over the last two years, have handed out more than 3,500 backpacks to homeless individuals through their Backpacks for the Street program. Conner was once homeless, and remembers feeling invisible. "You can watch people in the street not make eye contact," he told CBS New York. "They'll literally look away as they are walking by."

Newman, Conner, and their dedicated Together Helping Others volunteers have spent the winter distributing coats, gloves, sleeping bags, and mylar blankets in addition to backpacks. On Valentine's Day, they also passed out extra bags with candy, hand warmers, and cards, since "so many feel they get left out of holidays," Newman said. They also don't just drop the backpacks off and leave, instead making sure to connect in a way that makes each recipient comfortable. "We wanted to bring compassion and dignity and humanity to this," Newman said. "We'll sit there and listen and get to know them. It's about treating each other like human beings." Catherine Garcia

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