Homemade Masks Added To Sunday Meals-To-Go

Chapel on the Green, a program of Trinity Church on the Green, teamed up with a local synagogue to distribute masks Sunday in conjunction with a nearby soup kitchen.

Chapel on the Green had been providing free meals on Sundays on the grounds outside the church until Covid-19 hit. It wanted to start up again to help people who depended on the program — but didn’t want to hand out meals on the public square during the pandemic.

So instead it piggybacked on a meal-to-go program already underway two blocks over at the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) on Temple Street. With the help of volunteers from Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel (BEKI), it distributed care packages with the homemade masks along with DESK’s meals.

The Mask Creator Volunteers, a group of 40 volunteers in metro New Haven, made the 100 percent cotton pocket masks to distribute.

BEKI members Darryl and David Kuperstock contributed by delivering approximately 140 care packages with the homemade masks and other basic necessities paired with the soup kitchen to-go meals. Nine members of the synagogue participte in the Mask Creator Volunteers group.

“In two weeks, they made 140 masks, which was wonderful,” said Darryl. ​“For all of the other supplies, we contacted several doctors and dentists in the community who were able to donate various items like toothbrushes and toothpaste. Our daughter actually sent shampoo and conditioner from Los Angeles. TYCO Printing located downtown provided donated pads of paper to be included.”

Darryl said that the Mask Creator Volunteers are looking for additional help to produce masks.

“They have plenty of fabric and plenty of people cutting patterns, but they need more sewers,” said Darryl.

Outside of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, 30 people attended to grab a Wahlburgers cheeseburger, a peanut butter and jelly, or a salad. Their to-go bags included Cape Cod chips, Belvita granola bars, hard boiled eggs, and vegetables.

Meagan Howard, DESK kitchen manager, said that the chips, cookies, fruit cups, and other snacks were provided by Yale once the students from campus were sent home due to COVID-19. Beyond individual donations, other products were given from the Connecticut Food Bank, and North Haven Big Y, Stop & Shop, and Target along with Wallingford ShopRite.

“As long as I’ve been working here for 10 years, BEKI’s social action group has been volunteering here at least one night a month. Every month,” said Howard. 

After grabbing a DESK to-go meal, soup kitchen attendees were handed the kits from Trinity Church Assistant Rector Heidi Thorsen and volunteer Paul Young. The packages included socks, tissues, puzzle books, snack bars, adhesive bandages, and cosmetics. Thorsen said that BEKI was the first partner to jump on board to provide extra support since worship services had been closed down.

“Usually on a Sunday at 2 p.m. we would have a worship service followed by a meal service,” said Thorsen. ​“When Covid started changing our lives, we had to go out on hiatus, because we were worried that we were encouraging people to gather together, as well as a lot of churches were. We partnered with DESK to do something as our way of saying that we are still here and connecting with folks when we can’t gather together on the Green.”

“Heidi reached out to me a couple of weeks ago and I said that I would be interested in any sort of initiative to get back into the community,” said Young. ​“So many people were left out in the cold during this pandemic. It’s kind of been a weird scenario where we can’t help them but now is the time where we really need to help people. I’m thrilled to be able to help again.”

Thorsen and Young were recognized as longterm members serving downtown by soup kitchen goers such as David Firestone. Firestone opted for the cheeseburger, then proceeded to chat with Trinity volunteers for several minutes asking how they had been since the last time he had seen them before even considering to take a kit.

Wally Cordova, a 62 year-old Fair Havener, returned Sunday for a meal..

“I’ve been praying at home,” said Cordona. ​“But I would come for the mass and they would give out something to eat. I like the mass because it was outside.”

Cordova said he currently receives $1,300 a month from disability. The money doesn’t stretch far.

“I pay my rent. I’ve got a roof over my head. I’ve been homeless before. I get food stamps but not a lot. Either way, I’m staying afloat,” said Cordova. ​“I’ll use everything in this kit. I appreciate it a lot.”

Kevin Smith, who regularly attends DESK, examined his care kit package closely.

“I see we’ve got the socks and we’ve got the mask. The shampoo and conditioner. All of this comes in handy,” said Smith. ​“Everything plays a part.”

Other attendees, like Joseph Starita, sat on the steps of the Center Church Parish House to enjoy their meals. Starita, 55, has lived in New Haven his entire life. For four years, he has been homeless and said that the extra supplies were ​“godsent.”

“People don’t think about the basics, but when you have nothing, the basics are needed,” said Starita. ​“I usually go to Grand Avenue for breakfast at a church that serves oatmeal and coffee. During the day, I’ll collect bottles of cans or scraps of metal for money. Then I’ll usually come here.”

Starita said that the struggle to eat has increased since the beginning of Covid-19.

“It’s definitely been harder,” said Starita (pictured). ​“I wish that they would open everything back up because it’s tough on us, who are living in the street without money. We’re trying to survive to collect bottles and cans. With all of these places closed or not available, we can’t get any money and we can’t buy food. So if these soup kitchens were shut down, we would literally be starving to death.”

For information on Mask Creator Volunteers, contact Doris Zelinsky at 203 – 787-4991 or [email protected].