WESTFIELD – The Samaritan Inn is ready for the winter, thanks to a caring resident and the support of the community.
Julie Leavitt’s Warm Their Winter donation drive collected winter gear and toiletries for the Samaritan Inn from Jan. 9-23.
Leavitt started noticing a need when she saw Samaritan Inn residents scraping up change for their morning coffee while she was buying hers at Cumberland Farms on Main Street.
She began buying coffee on account for them, then put gloves on account, but knew more could be done to help.
She reached out via social media and secured drop-off sites throughout the city. What happened was beyond her expectations.
“I do fundraising, so I always shoot for the moon, but I am so impressed with what people did,” she said.
Leavitt spent several hours last night sorting donations that she placed in piles all over her dining room.
“The thing I’m most impressed with is we have 93 pairs of heavy duty men’s socks,” she said.
Donations included 37 pairs of women’s socks, 20 sweatshirts, eight jackets, 50 pairs of gloves, 45 hats, 22 T-shirts, 12 blankets, and 24 scarves.
“We also have three giant boxes of toiletries, including 60 bars of soap, 63 toothbrushes, and 80 tubes of toothpaste,” Leavitt said.
The Samaritan Inn can shelter 35 men and five women at a time. The Inn does not solicit donations but Leavitt’s drive inspired people to donate directly to the Inn, and Leavitt’s employer, Western Mass Rendering, made a monetary donation.
While she is excited and overwhelmed by the support the collection received, Leavitt is already looking forward to what she hopes will be the Second Annual Warm Their Winter.
“I think for next year I want to contact businesses to make donations and see if there’s a need for dining gift cards because Samaritan Inn provides two meals a day and a snack,” she said.
Leavitt thanked the following for supporting the drive as drop-off sites: Alessio’s Restaurant, Cumberland Farms, For K9s and Felines, Westfield Athenaeum, Dunkin Donuts, Designer’s Edge and the Westfield Fire Department.
