Residents can follow The Source’s journey in real time as representatives travel more than 1,300 miles to deliver its third Dignity Bus – an emergency shelter – to Woonsocket, Rhode Island. On Friday, the public is invited to welcome back the returning crew after their flight from Connecticut is expected to arrive about 9 a.m. at the Vero Beach Regional Airport.
Follow the trip here https://glympse.com/Bhlr-e1d2
From left to right: The Source Development Director Jonathan Orozco, Member Anthony Rommell, Member Kyle McNeill, Member Confesor Gonzalez, Executive Director Anthony Zorbaugh
PHOTO BY NICK SAMUEL
Supporters of The Source, a local Christian outreach ministry, can track the expedition through Glympse, a geo-location tracking platform. The nonprofit’s executive director Anthony Zorbaugh, Development Director Jonathan Orozco, and members Kyle McNeill, Anthony Rommell and Confesor Gonzalez are making the trip to the New England region.
“The journey has been great,” Zorbaugh said Monday as he continues to head north on the bus. “We have made several stops and are just taking our time in order to make it safely.”
The Source is in the process of selling its fourth Dignity Bus to Fortitude Community Outreach, a nonprofit based in Kankakee County, Illinois. The agency is planning to expand a fifth bus to operate in Jacksonville.
The first two Dignity Buses continue to run as emergency shelters for those in need in Vero Beach.
Officials with The Source left about 5 a.m. Monday and were expected to arrive in Woonsocket sometime Tuesday. The crew has been posting updates on social media throughout the journey.
The Source officials will hold a two-day training session for the nonprofit Community Care Alliance that will operate the bus.
McNeill, Rommell and Gonzalez converted the old Greyhound bus into an emergency shelter within four weeks.
A look inside the third Dignity Bus that will serve as an emergency shelter for the homeless population in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
PHOTO BY NICK SAMUEL
The bus has 20 beds, each with an outlet and a light switch. The emergency shelter also has a fireplace and air conditioning.
The representatives will then drive west to Hartford, Connecticut, and fly back Friday morning on Breeze Airways to Vero Beach Regional Airport, officials said.
The Source recently partnered with the city of Vero Beach for its Community Works Program, where members work three days a week to restore Pocahontas Park in downtown. The agency also has other programs for its members including the Dining with Dignity culinary employability training, Dignity Catering and Dignity Food Trucks. It will also operate Dignity Village, a small development that will provide 19 affordable housing units to residents upon opening.
More information on The Source and its programs can be found on the organization’s website.