Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/22/2023
LONGMEADOW — When the Rev. Charlotte LaForest joined St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Longmeadow in early 2020, she saw the needs of the people who come to the Church Without Walls outdoor services in Springfield’s Court Square every Sunday.
Wende Wheeler of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church said Church Without Walls caters to “people on the margins, people experiencing homelessness.” Between 25 and 40 people attend the outdoor service weekly. “We have a group of people who have been with us for years,” Wheeler said. “Sometimes, we have people who are newly out on the streets and are looking for their next steps. Some come and go.”
“[People experiencing homelessness] are the people who are most in need of help, she said, adding, “Socks and footcare are one of the main needs people who are unhoused need to address.
So, LaForest requested help from Bombas, a company with a business model that donates an item of essential clothing – T-shirts, undergarments and socks – for each item the company sells. Bombas also raises money to assist overnight shelters, transitional living facilities, street outreach teams, rehabilitation centers, Title 1 schools and medical service professionals.
St. Andrew’s was aware that the donation would take some time. Bombas usually allows for a 12-month period to get its donations to their destination, but as with many industries, the coronavirus pandemic taxed the company’s workforce and supply chains. Nearly three years after requesting the donation, 40 cartons of socks, totaling 11,000 pairs arrived at the church.
“It’s the same Bombas as are sold in stores, same quality,” Wheeler said.
The socks are being distributed after the weekly Church Without Walls service and at the Big Blue Drop-In Center at Christ Church Cathedral on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as other outdoor ministries. Wheeler said a parishioner requested some of the socks go to a drive run by students at Wolf Swamp Road School. Wheeler said the church is “happy to entertain requests” from organizations that help vulnerable populations. About one-third of the socks have been distributed so far.
Church Without Walls has been running for 15 years. Wheeler said it is just one of the programs that St. Andrews’ Episcopal Church administers. The church also runs Lydia’s Closet to clothe and supply foster children who have recently been placed with a local family. There is the Good News Garden, in which volunteers grow food and distribute it through area food pantries. St. Andrew’s is also a tutoring site for Springfield children through the Action Centered Tutoring Services (ACTS) program on Thursday afternoons. More information about that program can be found at acts86.org.
For more information on the programs at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, visit https://st-andrews-longmeadow.org. To find out more about Bombas, go to https://bombas.com.