TULSA, Okla — Hearts 4 the Homeless is a group tied to New Life Church.
The group started along with the church in 2018, to not only help those on the streets stay alive, but to help them get off the streets.
WATCH: ‘It’s all about love’: Church group rallies to feed people in need:
‘It’s all about love’: Church group rallies to feed people in need
Rylan Emanuel said he sought out help from Hearts 4 the Homeless when he was addicted to drugs and having run-ins with the justice system.
“God delivered me from addiction to drugs, a criminal lifestyle, homelessness, all those things,” he said. “With that being said, I felt like this ministry or organization was the best fit for me.”
Now, he said he’s paying it forward, helping those facing situations similar to his.
“The organization, or the program that I’m a part of is called River’s Edge recovery,” he said. “It’s a program, a faith-based Sober Living Program, that’s based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. We have two houses specifically for men right now. In the future, there will probably be another house for women.”
Hearts 4 the Homeless is ensuring they can help as many guests as possible, not only with physical health but also with emotional well-being.
Guests like Sam Sooter are more than grateful.
“Sometimes you find out in life, people don’t really care, and then you find out that they really love you, and it’s very important that people realize that,” he said. “It’s really important that we share what we got with when you have abundance.”
President and Founder Chris Stephens said Hearts 4 the Homeless was also created to bring people together, not apart.
“It’s all about love, we just come to love on people, that looks different every time we come out,” he said. “Generally though, what we try to do is hand out some really good, hearty foods. Some good home-cooking food. We’ve got a great connection with Tulsa University who donates a lot of food to us and it’s such a blessing.”
He also said the easiest way anyone can help the group is by getting involved as a volunteer or making a donation.
“It takes an army, and this is the first time in a long time that we’ve even had this many people here,” he said. “I’ve done teams of five, and I’ve done teams of 55. The more people you have, the better it is, because then you pour more resources together.”
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