Dear Family of St. Thomas’s,
As it gets colder, we think of those with no warm homes to sleep in. Last year, the Hope Center opened and our homeless friends had a warm place to live. Some got jobs and their own apartments! Others, are now out on the street again, as the Hope Center is FULL – at 400 people (mostly families with children).
The churches in Newark will be providing shelter (on nights where the temperature falls below 20 degrees), using Code Purple. Last year, when we thought the Hope Center was the permanent solution, and we had to remove all the items from the undercroft for mold and asbestos remediation, we donated all our blankets to the Newark Empowerment Center.
We must, once again, renew our blanket supply. If you have an extra single-size, washable blankets, there will be a blanket collection box outside the office at St. Thomas’s.
More info to come about the details of Code Purple, which will be a little different, to observe COVID guidelines. There is an organizational meeting this next week to work it all out.
MANY Blessings for your generosity to those with no homes,
Madeline Johnson