Delon's Restoration: A Story You Made Possible

My name is Delon. About eight years ago, my life began to fall apart.

Oh, I had a good job, working at a clothing company on 5th Avenue and I dressed well in very expensive outfits. On the outside it looked like I had it all. The problem was, I had no purpose in my life. I felt empty.

I started drinking at clubs, and then I fell in with the wrong crowd and started smoking crack. I ended up losing my job, my apartment, my car and all my savings. I became homeless. For almost three years, I rode the trains all night or slept in abandoned buildings, sometimes eating out of garbage cans. At one of my lowest points, I wanted to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge to end it all.

Then one night, a friend suggested I go to The Bowery Mission. Out of options, I came. I listened to the testimonies of some of the guys who had made it, and I thought, if they could do it, so could I.

As I went through the program, I started serving in the kitchen. I got to see firsthand how a meal could transform a person’s life. At the same time, the loving kindness I witnessed changed my own life. I wanted what they had. I gained a new passion to cook and to serve the poor.

The Bowery Mission’s Career Center helped me get my GED, then my chef’s license, and even a diploma from a Bible college here in New York City.

Today, I work for The Bowery Mission, cooking meals and leading outreaches in local parks. Each day, I am serving the homeless and inviting them to change their lives, just like I did.

Coming to The Bowery Mission is the best thing that ever happened to me. For the first time in my life, I have a purpose and reason to live — to serve and show God’s love to others.

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