A gay New York City couple who spent years handing out over 180,000 backpacks filled with essentials to houseless people both died near the end of June and start of July. Jayson Conner, age 48, died on June 28 from a heart attack at their Manhattan home. His partner, Jeffrey Newman, age 58, died on July 2, though the location and cause of his death have not been publicly revealed, The New York Times reported.
The couple began distributing backpacks around Manhattan in 2018 and continued until their deaths, eventually assembling a team of 40 volunteers to help in the effort. The project eventually became called Backpacks for the Streets, and its workers filled the backpacks with items—like beef jerky sticks, solar-powered battery chargers, body wipes, wool socks, flashlight with fresh batteries, pens, notebooks, hygiene supplies, and other clothing and food items—then put them in a van to distribute throughout Manhattan.
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Conner, who himself experienced homelessness for two years (as well as sexual abuse and drug addiction), told ABC News in June 2020, “People who are homeless, they feel invisible to begin with, like they don’t matter. And COVID-19 only magnified that. People treat them like the disease. We wanted to be doing more. “I’m amazed how that little moment of humanity and compassion and dignity changes someone’s life.”
“The thing about these backpacks is, it gives people hope,” Conner said. “It’s not going to cure homelessness but it gives them the beginning start—of hope.”
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Newman added, “We take what we do very seriously. We’re not making little goodie bags—we’re really thinking out what it is people need the most. It’s a labor of love.”
The couple trained their volunteers about safe and compassionate ways to engage unhoused people who might be lonely or in serious physical or emotional pain.
One volunteer, Kristina Kashtanova, said, “It was fascinating to see how well they managed to communicate with people on the streets. They taught me how to be a better human and how to talk to people who were so different from me.”
The couple, who met in 2004, said their volunteer work pulled them closer together. Now, the volunteers left in their organization are discussing how to continue their efforts.
“I feel like they taught us how to be a better community and it was tested in this tragedy,” Kashtanova said. “We’re all grieving but at the same time we’re very proactive in handling this situation.”
Conner attended culinary school, worked in restaurants, and has a son and daughter. Newman was the founding president and chief executive of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle publication Out. He spoke publicly about his own HIV diagnosis, recovery, LGBTQ+ equality and suicide prevention, particularly among LGBTQ+ youth. He is survived by his parents, two brothers, and sister.
“Jayson was the love of Jeffrey’s life and his true partner in every sense of the word,” Newman’s brother Glenn Newman told W42st.com. “They built their lives together, shared a common purpose, and dedicated themselves to serving others. Whether they were running their nonprofit, supporting people on the streets of New York, or simply enjoying everyday life, they were rarely apart. Their relationship was built on deep love, unwavering commitment, and a shared belief that every person deserves dignity, compassion, and hope.”
Michael Gray, Conner’s best friend, told the aforementioned website, “Jayson and Jeffrey’s love was the kind of love you could feel even from the outside. They were partners in every sense — in life, in purpose, and in the work they gave their hearts to. Losing them days apart is heartbreaking, but there is comfort in believing that their bond was so strong, even this world couldn’t keep them separated for long.”
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