MILWAUKEE — Homeless outreach group Street Angels took the wraps off their new bus Wednesday morning. Their old bus was destroyed whensomeone lit it on fire in January. The group has been without both their buses since the fire, but never stopped serving the community.
“It has been a struggle, but we haven’t skipped a beat. There are people out here waiting to eat,” said Eva Welch, Executive Co-Director of Street Angels.
The new bus was purchased in Las Vegas and driven back to Milwaukee. Street Angels used a combination of insurance money and a large community donation to pay for it. Local automotive supplier Strattec donated the money to purchase the bus.
“This is an organization that basically, I hate to say it, got kicked in the gut and needed some help. So we are glad to donate the money,” said Strattec Chief Financial Officer Pat Hansen.
Welch says having the new bus will allow Street Angels to get back out in full force. “Watching the bus burn was kind of like watching our dreams burn. If our dreams are fulfilled, it means that people aren’t hungry,” she says.
So far no arrests have been made in the arson of the bus. The group’s second bus is expected back from the shop in April. They have been managing their routes with a mini-van and a borrowed van from Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force.
