Cambridge Residents Hold Donation Drive to Address Homelessness

As the City of Cambridge works to meet the needs of its homeless population, private institutions like Saint Peter School and the Harvard Square Churches Meal Program are trying to fill in the gaps.

Students at St. Peter School donated clothing items to Harvard Square Churches Meal Program on Thursday in the second annual “Pass the Clothes” event.

The event — which helps meet the need for socks, sweatshirts, and other items for people in the Harvard Square area — is a “revival of a tradition” for St. Peter School, according to Evan Kristiansen, St. Peter School’s principal.

“We do this big event every year where we donate money or donate goods, in this case, things that people experiencing homelessness need to the Harvard Square Churches Meal Program,” Kristiansen said.

As of October, there are more than 1,000 homeless people in Cambridge, and shelters are struggling to meet the needs of every individual. With tightening budgets, resources are stretched thin.

Kristiansen added that the event invites school affiliates to donate to “show the rest of the public the charity that’s occurring.”

Last year, the event was held outside, and students created an assembly line from St. Peter School to Christ Church to physically pass bags of donations along the mile stretch of sidewalk.

Due to Thursday’s cold weather, however, the event was moved into the halls of the school. Donations were handed between students, parents, and volunteers before being driven to Christ Church.

The event was part of a larger collaboration between St. Peter School and Harvard Square Churches Meal Program. Throughout the year, the school’s kitchen provides soup on a regular basis and holiday items for Valentine’s Day and Christmas.

“It’s all about service and doing for others,” said Julie Songer, a kindergarten teacher at St. Peter School.

“There’s a lot of joy in the hallways as students passed the items,” said Samantha Peters, a 3rd grade teacher at the school. She said that for the last week, the students have been “really excited” to donate.

HSCMP co-director Judy Siemen said she hopes the donations “will last for a while,” since the program serves more than 100 individuals each week.

Peters said the event was a great opportunity to teach “virtues, and giving, and charity” to her students.

“We try to tie that into all of our learning — and really teaching to the mind of each child, the soul, to the heart, and try to instill this value of giving and charity to all of our students,” she said.

—Staff writer Rachel M. Fields can be reached at rachel.fields@thecrimson.com.