In search of winter clothes
by Rev. Sarah McCaslin
On Thursday, October 15th, 2009, I wrote the following email to a small group of church members:
Greetings,
I am reaching out to you in the hopes that you might be able to help with a small project. I meet weekly with a church member who is homeless and spends his evenings in a chair, in the basement of a Catholic Church in Harlem. He is not in the country legally, and therefore is fearful of seeking work in the current immigration climate. So, to the best of my ability, I try to provide for him. He has a storage facility and a Metrocard and a good sense of where to find a hot meal.
He does not have warm clothes for this winter season. If you have any of the items listed below, or if you can purchase some of them, I would be greatly appreciative. Some of you did this last year, and he was able to stay healthy throughout the cold season. The boots that one of you purchased for him are still in good condition and don’t need replacing.
In deep thanks,
Rev. Sarah McCaslin
Items needed:
Winter Coat
Hooded Sweatshirt
Jeans
socks
underwear
Long underwear
Scarf, hat and gloves
By Sunday, October 18th, my office was crammed with shopping bags filled with brand new and slightly used clothing- everything on my list and in multiples. The response was so great that I had to ask Tony Feliciano, our sexton, to wheel in a coat rack to hang everything up. When the member arrived at the church on Tuesday morning for our regular coffee klatch, he was overwhelmed, overjoyed, humbled. “This is going to be a warm winter,” he said. “This isn’t a very good surprise; this is a very, very, very, very good surprise,” he said. “The people in this church are wonderful,” he said. “They are so generous.” After planting a kiss on my cheek, he almost skipped out of my office.
Like him, I am feeling overwhelmed, overjoyed and humbled by this experience. How quickly and how generously the church responded to an individual in need! My only regret is that I did not invite the entire congregation to take part in this improvisational clothing drive.
For those who gave so generously, Thank you!!!!!! For those who did not have a chance to donate items from the above list, there is still time. I will continue collecting warm, winter items for a few more weeks, distributing them as needed. Once the shelter season begins, all remaining clothing will be provided to our nightly guests.
As he was packing up his winter wardrobe into a couple of bags, the church member said that I was responsible for everything that had happened. But I respectfully disagreed, “No, I’m not at the center of this effort- you are, and the church is.” I’m the middle man, the go-between, the liaison- linking the one with need to the ones seeking to share. It is the best job I could hope for. Thank you.
