At St. Matthew’s Festival of Sharing in December we raised $891 for Concord Prison Outreach and the WELCOMEBACKpack Program. We are planning to assemble the backpacks (72 of them) on Sunday March 5th, and we need your help! The backpacks will include hygiene and safety supplies, a list of community resources, a book for study and reflection, and writing materials. The items must be new, but you don’t have to buy them, maybe you can seek a donation of these items from your dentist or local store. Working together we can create 72 backpacks to support people as they start a new chapter. To help provide items for the backpack, please sign up HERE. There will be a box in the hospitality area at St. Matthew’s where you can leave your donations.
The Massachusetts Department of Correction and Concord Prison Outreach have partnered in this program to address some of the wide disparities in resources available to people released from prison. The WelcomeBackPacks are prepared for state-wide distribution as people leaving prison return to many different communities throughout Massachusetts. The Department of Corrections uses financial and resource-based criteria to determine who needs a backpack.
These are the items needed:
- Travel Size Shampoo
- Socks
- Deodorant
- Bar Soap or Body Wash
- Face Masks (720-10/backpack)
- 1 small box Pads (need only 15)
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Pen
- Writing Pad