Who We Are And How We Got Started
The Bag Ladies of Lakewood Presbyterian Church
(http://lpcjax.org) began in 2007, when Pat Bloebaum asked her then Pastor, The Reverend Terry Lucarelli, if she could start a group to sew colorful drawstring bags and fill them with comfort items to be given to children who come to Hubbard House, the abuse shelter for Duval County in Florida. He readily agreed, and the Welcome Bag Project was
begun.
At the first organizational meeting in January, 2008, 12 women showed up to volunteer. On our first work day in February, 23 Welcome Bags were filled and delivered to Hubbard House.
As the weeks and months passed, church members began to contribute both items and money to the Bag Ladies, and the number of bags completed each month grew. By the end of January, 2014, an amazing total of 3,240 Welcome Bags had been placed in the hands of children who were being protected from abusive home situations at Hubbard House.
Since the day of our first meeting, the Bag Ladies have continued to complete 45 of these comfort bags each month. By 2010, our number had grown to more than 25 volunteers. We are an ecumenical group, because as news of our project appeared in local newspapers
(http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-01-10/story/10-who-make-difference-making-difference-domestic-abuse-victims) and on the evening news interview at: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT_dnFyKqhc) people from other churches showed up to help.
Today, we have volunteers from several Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian, and non-denominational churches. We meet at 9
o’clock on the second Saturday of each month, and continue to provide 540 Welcome Bags to Hubbard House every year.
It is a labor of love that uplifts our spirits as we gather together to sew, fill bags, and enjoy one another’s company.
We urge other people in other churches across the country to join together and form sister groups in your own communities to help alleviate the pain felt by victims of abuse.
But Wait! There's More!
Pat's two grandsons--whose stay at Hubbard House in 2003 sparked the idea for the Bag Ladies--have started their own personal outreach mission. With the support of their church and 4-H club, they collect non-perishable food items and pack brown-bag breakfasts and lunches for kids at Hubbard House.
They consider it to be making lemonade out of lemons. You can do it, too!
They consider it to be making lemonade out of lemons. You can do it, too!