Volunteers hand out 'blessing bags' to help homeless

PHILADELPHIA - A church group is stepping up to help the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic by passing out 'blessing bags' with non-perishable food.

“I think most people are caring and considerate about it, they just don’t know, they don’t see it," Tom Frey told FOX 29. 

Some hero stories you truly can’t understand unless you see them. For Tom Frey of St. Miriam’s Blessing Bag Program, a group dedicated to helping the homeless, it’s an emotional one.

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“It’s an emotional thing when you go down there, I mean I come up and need to decompress for a minute because I can’t believe there are so many people sleeping like that," he said.

FOX 29’s Bill Anderson joined Frey in his signature truck for his daily ritual of giving what they call blessing bags to the homeless. It’s something that he’s been doing for years but during this pandemic, the need is staggering.

“We used to do maybe a thousand bags a month before coronavirus, now we’re doing a thousand a week and we can’t catch up,” Frey explained.

The homeless struggling before are now without the help that some would be able to provide while walking down the street. The businesses that allowed them to use their bathrooms are now closed, and to add to the fear, the shelters are now congested with other people seeking shelter. this is what most people will never see.

Volunteers from his church, St. Miriam’s in Norristown, joined in putting together the bags and handing them out but it only took a minute to see how much need there truly is.

Frey isn’t a fan of the camera and originally didn’t want to do the interview but he said that helping people is more important and he hopes that people who see this harsh reality will help.

“We need protein, such as tuna fish cans. We need Vienna sausages. We need fruits, non-perishables is what we are looking for. Something that will substitute when they can’t get meals that’s not gonna go bad on them," Frey said. 

This is every day for Frey and the people of St. Miriam’s Church, but he says that he is no hero.

“I’m just somebody that cares. Look, I’m a week away from being homeless half the year anyway. I see what they go through, I know what I struggle to go through in a week, and I hate to see people like that," Frey said.

Being a helping hand and a voice for the voiceless is why hundreds of people every day believe that he is a hero —  for goodness sake.

We want to hear from you. Tell us about a hero you know using the hashtag #FOX29Heroes or #ForGoodnesSake.

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