Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman Die Days Apart After Years of Giving Backpacks to New York's Homeless

Jayson Conner, 48, and Jeffrey Newman, 58, a Queens couple who spent years handing out backpacks to New York’s homeless, died days apart in the summer of 2026.

Who They Were

Jayson Conner was born on July 4, 1977, in Stockton, California. He attended culinary school and later worked in restaurants. Jeffrey Newman was born on September 27, 1967, in Ardsley, New York. He graduated from Florida International University in 1991 with a degree in communication and media studies. The two men met in 2004 and were partners for 22 years, based on reporting from the New York Times.

How Their Work Began

Before meeting Newman, Conner struggled with drug addiction and spent two years homeless, a period that continued for a time after he moved to New York. Newman and Conner started volunteering together at a Brooklyn soup kitchen one Thanksgiving in the late 2000s. A pastor there told them that the holiday already drew plenty of volunteers, and what she needed most was help on the other 364 days of the year. That comment changed their direction, according to comments Newman gave to the New York Amsterdam News, cited by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Founding Backpacks for the Street

After eight years volunteering at the soup kitchen, Newman and Conner launched their own nonprofit in 2018, officially named Together Helping Others, with its flagship program called Backpacks for the Street. The bags were filled with essentials like toiletries, socks, and notebooks, handed out directly to people living on New York City’s streets, according to NBC News.

Their Work During The Pandemic

When COVID-19 hit New York City in 2020, the pair expanded their efforts sharply. Before the pandemic, about 10 volunteers helped distribute roughly 30 backpacks a day. During the crisis, with only four volunteers to maintain social distancing, they handed out about 100 backpacks a day, traveling roughly 80 miles of city streets in a single 16 hour stretch, according to NBC News. By mid 2020, the nonprofit had given out more than 4,000 backpacks along with thousands of feminine hygiene products and Mylar blankets, based on reporting from Advocate.com.

What The Work Meant To Them

Conner spoke openly about how his own experience of homelessness shaped his motivation. He said he understood the pain and embarrassment that people on the street felt, having lived through it himself, according to ABC News. Newman described the deeper purpose behind a simple backpack in a 2020 interview with Fox News, saying the gesture would not cure homelessness but told someone that people cared, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Their Deaths

Conner died from a heart attack at the couple’s home in Queens on June 28, 2026, according to his daughter, Jewlia Conner. Newman died four days later, on July 2, 2026, according to his brother Glenn, who did not share a location or cause of death, based on reporting from The Philadelphia Inquirer. News of Conner’s death first circulated among friends, volunteers, and people connected to Backpacks for the Street roughly two weeks before Newman’s passing, according to W42ST.

Community Reaction

Their deaths stunned friends, family, and the Hell’s Kitchen community, where the couple’s 22 year partnership had become closely tied to their years of service to people in need, according to W42ST.

FAQ section based on confirmed reporting for this topic

Q: Who were Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman?

A: They were a Queens couple who spent years walking the streets of New York, handing out tens of thousands of backpacks filled with supplies like toiletries, socks, and notebooks to people in need. They were partners for 22 years and were married.

Q: How did Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman die?

A: Jayson passed away from cardiac arrest on a Sunday. As of initial reports, the cause of Jeffrey’s death had not yet been determined, as he died just days after his husband.

Q: When did they die?

A: Jayson passed away suddenly on a Sunday morning after suffering cardiac arrest, on what would have been their 22nd wedding anniversary. Jeffrey died within days of Jayson’s passing.

Q: What was Backpacks For The Street?

A: It was the nonprofit outreach program Jayson and Jeffrey built and devoted themselves to for years, distributing backpacks of essential supplies to homeless individuals in New York City. Giving away the backpacks was initially a side project of their broader nonprofit, Together Helping Others, which provided a range of social services.

Q: How did the organization operate?

A: Once a week, a few dozen volunteers would gather at a rental space in Queens, where Conner and Newman would lead them in organizing supplies into more than 100 backpacks, which were loaded onto a moving van and driven to Manhattan. Over the following days, volunteers would fan out across the city with backpacks slung over their shoulders, distributing them to people in need.

Q: What inspired them to start the program?

A: The idea grew out of volunteering at a Brooklyn church soup kitchen one Thanksgiving in the late 2000s, where a pastor told them what was really needed was help on the other 364 days of the year, not just the holiday. After eight years volunteering there, they decided to start their own organization.

Q: What did they hope the backpacks would accomplish?

A: Newman explained that the backpack represented hope — while it wasn’t a solution to homelessness itself, it was a way of telling someone that people cared.

Q: Who survives Jayson Conner?

A: Along with his daughter, Jewlia, he is survived by a son, Andrew.

Q: How is the community honoring their memory?

A: Friends, volunteers, and community members have been sharing tributes describing their legacy of compassion through Backpacks For The Street. A fundraiser was also launched to help cover funeral and living expenses following Jayson’s death.

Jayson Conner and Jeffrey Newman Die Days Apart After Years of Giving Backpacks to New York’s Homeless