Volunteer Tom Palumbo of Kingstowne processes a new donation at the warehouse for Ecumenical Community Helping Others. Photo by Tim Peterson.
The back of the house at Springfield’s Ecumenical Community Helping Others resembles the staging area for Santa’s all-nighter. Aisles upon aisles of assorted clothing, toys, kitchen equipment and other home goods wait in orderly fashion to be stocked in the nonprofit’s shopping area serving clients with low or no income.
This time of year is especially hectic for outfits like ECHO, when donations around the holidays spike.
“It’s chaotic, but it’s wonderful too,” said ECHO executive director Meg Brantley. ECHO serves about 1,500 active clients across five magisterial districts in Fairfax County, including Burke and areas of Springfield. They have 27 counselors who work one-on-one with clients on an appointment basis, figuring out how ECHO can best help them manage their food, clothing and short-term financial difficulties.
ECHO is one of two community outreach nonprofits, the other being the Koinonia Foundation in Franconia, getting a boost in clothing on-hand from the annual Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce winter outerwear campaign.
FOR ITS LONGEST-RUNNING collection campaign, going back more than 15 years, the Chamber works with local businesses (members and non-members alike) to set up collection boxes for coats, hats, scarves and gloves. Then the two nonprofits retrieve the boxes themselves and distribute the items through their channels.
“At this time of year, you’re more likely to see groups working on Toys for Tots, food collection -- those are the two things generally residents think are needed at the holidays, and they are,” said Nancy-jo Manney, Executive Director of the Chamber.
“But this is something different. Most of us don’t realize how many kids show up at school in January and February without a proper coat on. Because so many of our local kids here in the central Springfield area walk to school, it’s amazing, you see them out and they don’t have a proper coat. Mom and dad send them with just a sweatshirt because that’s all they have.”
Manney said there are 27 participating businesses and other organizations participating in this year’s campaign, which started Nov. 16 and lasts until Dec. 17. In addition to businesses, several other groups such as American Legion posts and schools, including Franconia Elementary, participated.
Springfield-based tech and information solutions company Strategy and Management Services, Inc. is one of the participating businesses, leaning on its charitable arm SAMS Cares to drive the coat collection.
“Social service and being an active, responsible member of the community is essential to me,” SAMS president and chief executive officer Staci L. Redmon said in an email. “I launched the SAMS Cares program to engage employees in community endeavors. SAMS’ employees continue to come together and make amazing strides to support the advancement of members of our community.”
During the last two years, SAMS Cares has participated in more than 14 different initiatives, Redmond said, putting in about 60 service hours and collecting over $3,400 in goods. For the holidays, the group is partnering with Potter’s Hands Thanksgiving Feast and New Hope Housing, in addition to the winter outerwear drive and other support for ECHO.
“Our donors and businesses are certainly up to scratch now,” Brantley said. “I’m getting so many more emails from businesses saying they’d like to help, what can they be doing?”
SO FAR with coats in from three out of 13 businesses ECHO will retrieve from, they’ve taken in 64 items.
Brantley said she thinks even though not every business within their footprint is participating in the outerwear drive, campaigns like it help increase awareness of their mission in the community.
With fewer donations in 2014, ECHO was forced to spend $10,000 on gift cards for food to serve the need of their client families. Whereas this year, Brantley said, “businesses have really come through. We’re not going to spend nearly as much on gift cards.”
Kathy Marchetti of Springfield volunteers at ECHO and is co-chair of the clothing department. “Any drive that produces quality coats for children, men and women, but especially the children, is just invaluable,” she said. “It gets the whole community involved. That’s why we love it.”
For more information on ECHO, visit www.echo-inc.org. More information on the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce winter outerwear campaign is available at www.springfieldchamber.org/winter-outerwear-campaign.