Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless says school bus vandalized, catalytic converter stolen

A nonprofit group that serves home insecure and homeless children are asking for help after someone vandalized their much-needed form of transportation.

News 12 Staff

Jul 13, 2021, 12:56 AM

Updated 1,158 days ago

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A nonprofit group that serves home insecure and homeless children are asking for help after someone vandalized their much-needed form of transportation.
The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless has a summer camp program called Bernice's Place. Part of the program includes trips to a local pool for lessons, playdays at local parks and a big day trip once a week.
The nonprofit says someone recently vandalized their school bus and stole a catalytic converter.
The bus, which is being repaired, will cost $2,000-$3,000 to fix.
In the meantime, the camp has to rent a bus to take the children on trips that include the Point Pleasant Boardwalk and Aquarium and the New York Botanical Garden.
The rented bus will cost $1,000. Administrators of the nonprofit say they'll figure out the financials, but they just want to make sure the children don't suffer anymore.
They can use 15-person vans to get the kids to their daily swim lessons and other local activities, but need that larger bus for the longer trips.
The executive director also wants other people to know about that catalytic converters are commonly stolen due to how much they go for.
About 45 kids go to the summer program two weeks at a time. Bernice's Place also runs an after-school program during the year that is mostly funded through donations.