Lifebridge Backpack Program Delivers 100 Coats, Packs To Beverly, Salem Residents In Need

SALEM, MA — Nearly 100 housing-insecure residents of Beverly, Gloucester and Salem were presented with backpacks filled with hygiene and other cold-weather supplies this holiday season as part of Lifebridge's ninth-annual Backpack Program.

The items were collected through community drives and contributions.

"Backpacks are more than a practical tool," said program founder Laura Madison, a development committee member at Lifebridge. "Everyone — housed or unhoused — can have a backpack. Owning one makes you feel more normal and worthy when you’re going through a difficult time."

Madison said her inspiration came from her own son's struggle with homelessness.

"During the five and a half months my son was a Lifebridge resident, I remember he was so depressed," she said. "His shoulders curled forward. I could tell he was losing hope. Then one day I picked him up for a job interview and he had this backpack that had been given to him. And he was completely transformed: his shoulders were back, his head was up. It meant so much to him."

The ensuing Lifebridge Backpack Program distributes backpacks at one-day events in the winter and summer, when exposure to New England weather can lead to health and safety issues. Donation drives call for items that specifically address each season, such as bedrolls and thermal blankets in the winter, or sunscreen and water bottles in the summer.

The CITYPAK backpacks are specifically designed for people experiencing street homelessness with weatherproofing and security features.

This year's winter drive coincided with Giving Tuesday, a national day of philanthropy, with volunteers from Arbella Insurance and Groom Construction assembling and handing out backpacks from Lifebridge's Day Center in Salem.

"When our committee first researched different places, it's the Lifebridge people and what they've done for the community that really spoke to us," said Kathleen Hanley, one of this year's volunteers.

"We are living in an epidemic: people have lost their jobs during COVID or fell on hard times and are trying to get back on their feet, but there are limited or no resources for them," she said. "By participating in the Lifebridge Backpack Program, we get to see our efforts in action. It’s opened our minds to a whole different world."

"I think it is notable that when the program started, we gave away 40 backpacks and Lifebridge would purchase most the items inside," said Brittany Molloy-Kenney, vice president of philanthropy at Lifebridge. "Now, we have 200 backpacks fully funded by the Lodge of St. Andrew to give out in the winter and summer. We have multiple rooms full of personal care items and coats donated by individuals and organizations like the Salem Police Department.

"It's an overwhelming number of donations going directly to the people who need them most."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)