Homeless Ministry In Birmingham Loses Bus In Fire

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Since its inception more than 40 years ago, Foundry Ministries in Birmingham has been able to make the most of bad situations. In fact, one of the ministry's main purposes is taking men, women and children who are the product of bad situations and helping them find hope and purpose. Now, the ministry is having to cope with its own bad situation, as the organization's bus, which is its method of transporting these men, women and children to and from the minitsry, became engulfed in flames Sunday and is now a total loss.

Although no one was injured in the fire, the organization is now left without its primary means of transport. "The 1991 yellow Type C school bus caught on fire the night of Sunday, December 17," said Foundry's director of development John Rowland. "Our bus driver was preparing to pick up homeless men and women from downtown Birmingham to return and provide them a hot meal and medical care. Our bus driver cranked the bus, allowed it to idle, and walked away for a moment. During the few moments he stepped away, an oil fire started and the bus soon became engulfed in flames."

The ministry uses the bus seven days a week to transport both its program participants and the homeless. Three nights each week it is used to transport homeless men and women throughout the city to Changed Lives Christian Center where they are provided a hot meal and medical care.

"It puts us in a tough place because we use that bus seven days a week and three nights a week," said Foundry Ministries' CEO Micah Andrews. "We're transporting our men and women in our programs back and forth throughout our internal transportation system, but also especially this time of year when it's cold, [it's] how we're transporting the homeless men and women from downtown Birmingham to the facility for a warm meal."

Anyone wishing to help replace the bus via donation can give securely at https://www.foundryministries.com/donate-to-the-foundry/ and write “bus" under tribute name.

Photo courtesy of John Roland/Foundry Ministries