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  (Photo: AP Images / Craig Ruttle)
  A pedestrian crosses a deserted Columbus Ave. in New York Monday, Dec. 27, 2010, in the wake of a blizzard that hammered New York and much of the Northeast.

A New York-based ministry has partnered with churches and volunteers to help thousands of homeless persons stay warm this winter.

Many parts of the country have been experiencing frigid temperatures and the latest blizzard dumped more than two feet of snow in the Northeast over the holiday weekend.

It was New York City's sixth worst snowstorm since 1869.

Here's Life Inner City, the compassionate urban ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International, is working with volunteers across the country to provide nearly 6,000 Homeless Care Kits. The kits contain blankets, gloves, a hat and scarf, socks, toiletries and other necessities.

"These gifts can often be the difference between life and death for homeless women and men, desperate parents, terrified children, and struggling veterans who never expected to be living on the streets," said John Sather, national director of Here’s Life Inner City, in a statement.

"The Homeless Care Kits are designed not only to meet the immediate physical needs of the poor, but also to connect them with caring volunteers who can make a lasting difference in their lives."

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Through the care kits, the ministry aims to build a relationship with the recipient that eventually leads the person to Christ.

Here's Life Inner City is committed to ministering to the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. It mobilizes the Church to live out God's heart for the poor, so all can grow in Christ and spiritually multiply, its mission statement says.

The Homeless Care Kit is an annual winter outreach.