St. Mary’s donates comforting clothing to support Waymakers Teen Shelter

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Beach ended its year of giving with a clothing drive to provide warm and comforting clothes to the teens at the Waymakers Shelter just in time for Christmas.

The church gathered more than 70 items to warm teens from head to toe – beanies, pajamas, socks, slippers and plush throws. These items are always needed by the Shelter, since many teens arrive there with only the clothes on their backs.

Click on photo for a larger image

Courtesy of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

(L-R) Barbara van Gaasbeek, Rev. Lester Mackenzie, Hayden Donahue and Lyhz Padilla with donated items for the Waymakers Shelter

The shelter, which does wonderful work, was very appreciative of this support. According to Volunteer Coordinator Chelsea Burch, “St. Mary’s Church has done an extraordinary work for our youth and their families. From gathering the needed essential supplies and cleaning products during the pandemic, to providing warm blankets, slippers and other cozy materials that promoted comfort within our kids during these distressing and difficult times in their lives truly touches everyone involved. St. Mary’s has spent years bringing light and hope to not only our youth, but our community at large. We are forever grateful for their dedication in helping the community and our kids in any way possible.”

For more information on Waymakers Shelter, visit www.waymakersoc.org. For more information on St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, visit www.stmaryslagunabeach.org.