Operation Chill Out

OPERATION CHILLOUT is NJ’s oldest all-volunteer mobile outreach for homeless veterans, men and women, on a mission since December 21, 2000 – “no borders-no boundaries”. We serve all of New Jersey, Northeast Pennsylvania and coastal Rhode Island by:

• Promoting awareness of the multi-faceted nature of poverty and homelessness.
• Advocating for sustainable solutions and programs serving the needs of the poor, addicted, abused and homeless to improve the quality of their lives leading to permanent change and independent living.
• Organizing for peace and economic justice to address systemic inequities challenging impoverished communities.
• Engaging in direct compassionate action including the collection, dissemination and delivery of supplies to homeless people and the agencies that provide for their temporary care.
• OCO founded December 21, 2000, to help a group of homeless Viet Nam veterans living in the open under a railroad trestle in northern NJ. OCO became a registered 501c3 not for profit in 2011. We believe in the inherent worth of every homeless man, woman and child and provide emergency supplies and survival gear to the most vulnerable members of our communities wherever we encounter them. We bring our care to all homeless people without regard to their religious affiliation, ethnic heritage or state of life.

We believe in the inherent worth of every homeless man, woman and child and provide emergency supplies and survival gear to the most vulnerable members of our communities wherever we encounter them.

We bring our care to all homeless people without regard to their religious affiliation, ethnic heritage or state of life.

We particularly seek out veterans of our military services, many of whom, because of the traumas they endured in service to our nation, face acute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and chronic illnesses of body, mind and spirit, and are represented among the highest percentage of the homeless in the USA.

We practice nonviolence, radical acceptance and hospitality toward all to whom we minister.

We welcome all strangers as we would a guest to our family and observe “no borders – no barriers” in our work

We practice humility, charity and the “spiritual and corporal works of mercy” to alleviate the suffering of the poor and homeless in our communities and throughout the world.

Winter
Each year the winter outreach project makes deliveries to locations where homeless people gather, including food pantries; soup kitchens; temporary shelters and places where some sleep in the open in abandoned buildings, parks and alleyways. Each year Operation Chillout prepares a backpack for a man or woman filled with warm clothing – zipped hooded sweatshirt, non-leather gloves, knit cap, warm socks, thermals. They are delivered to homeless people free of charge.
This year, check our donations page in the fall for our on-line winter outreach campaign.

Summer
We collect and deliver cases of life-saving bottled water, T-shirts and baseball caps to homeless veterans, men and women in the hot months of the summer.

Go to our donations page to support the 2020 campaign.
This outreach begins Memorial Day and ends Labor Day.

All Year Long
Our hotline receives and responds to referrals of homeless veterans 24/7/365.

If you are aware of a homeless veteran please call 609-619-0861.