SUFFOLK, Va. — Jennifer Bolding drives across Hampton Roads with a simple mission: find people who need help and provide it. As the founder of "Cruisin to Help the Homeless," she serves people experiencing homelessness, coming out of incarceration, or recovering from substance use.
"I drive all over Hampton Roads looking for people outside to help," Bolding said.
Her approach is direct and personal. She fills her car with essentials like food, clothes, toiletries, blankets and tents, anything someone living outside can use.
Bolding's mission began a decade ago while working as a truck driver. She kept encountering people who simply needed a hot meal.
"I had people come up to me to my truck window asking for food or money so I had a fridge and a microwave in the back of my truck I would heat them up a burger or make a grilled cheese or whatever I could," Bolding said.
Now her work spans the entire Hampton Roads region. She uses her van to collect donations, travel to those in need, and drive them to essential services like the DMV or rehabilitation centers.
She also connects people with other community resources.
"I've gotten several people off the street and into rehab that are still clean now, I've gotten maybe 10 people or so off the street now, and it feels great and I hope to get 30 people off the street this coming year," Bolding said.
While most of the work falls on her shoulders alone, Bolding credits community support as essential to her mission's success.
"I have over 1,700 followers now in just a little over a year, on Facebook its crazy its overwhelming sometimes," Bolding said.
Her work continues year-round. She recently provided Thanksgiving meals to people experiencing homelessness, and for Christmas, she's asking the community to "adopt" a person in need to provide holiday gifts.
