All can pitch in, even beyond ‘front lines’

It all started with Archbishop Aymond’s letter encouraging clergy to reach out pastorally to medical personnel during this difficult time. Since I manage the parish’s website and social media accounts, our pastor, Father Matthew Johnston, asked how our parish might respond.
    

We launched two new parish initiatives through St. Benilde Church’s Facebook page. The first was a call to action for all parish seamstresses, inviting them to use their time and talents to create medical masks. Non-sewers could help by donating materials needed for the masks or contributing items for special care packages to be delivered to St. Benilde-affiliated health care workers.
    

We didn’t want people to go out and make special shopping trips. We wanted people  to donate from what they already had or purchased during their essential grocery trips. Our first priority was to reach and support the medical personnel from our own parish and school and then expand that help to local hospitals and medical facilities.
    

Those posts spread quickly, reaching more than 5,000 people. We began receiving emails from women who were eager to begin sewing and from other parishioners who donated funds, dropped off supplies or hand-wrote letters to be included in the care packages. 
    

Our St. Vincent de Paul Society volunteered to purchase and donate gift cards for the care packages, while our Men’s Club and Home and School Association made material contributions. Teachers even got involved by asking students to write letters and draw pictures as homework assignments. St. Benilde School donated cleaning supplies from its classroom storage.
    

The generosity and unity of our St. Benilde community has been beautiful to see, especially when we’re all separated and craving that interaction.
    

St. Benilde parishioner Casey Sprehe said her Catholic faith demands a response to those in need. Since she didn’t sew, she felt compelled to buy products so those on the front lines felt loved and supported from afar. That’s a beautiful illustration that everyone can do something.
    

The parish identified 39 St. Benilde-affiliated medical personnel to receive a personalized care package filled with grocery gift cards, cleaning supplies, energy bars, Gatorades, thank-you letters and a blessed handmade medical mask. 
    

Though the handmade masks have had mixed reviews from health care facilities, our seamstresses will continue making masks for other medical personnel and facilities as needed. Each mask will be blessed by Father Johnston, and at the very least they can become a tangible sign of our community’s love and support for these men and women who are sacrificing so much for us.
    

St. Benilde School mom Jennifer Parta said making the masks was the least she do to show these selfless medical professionals that we care about them and appreciate them.
    

Nathalie Culotta  summed up all of our efforts: “It’s a good feeling to know that you can do something good for someone else.” 
    

Huck can be contacted at [email protected].