The Ecumenical Outreach Partnership (EOP) will host its third-annual Warmly Wrapped: Winter Clothing Distribution Day at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (7 West 55th St., NY, NY 10019) on Tuesday, November 26, at 10:00 am. Members of the Midtown homeless community are invited to register to receive winter clothing to stay warm and safe during the colder months. 

EOP, a collaboration of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Saint Thomas Church, serves vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness, those beset by other insecurities, the elderly, and the newly arrived. EOP operates five days a week. It provides case management services, referrals, and direct assistance to those in need.

This year, Warmly Wrapped will welcome Bishop Matthew Heyd of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Bishop Heyd will serve the homeless alongside Rev. Scott Black Johnston, Senior Pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, and Rev. Canon Carl Turner, Rector of Saint Thomas Church.

“We are grateful that Bishop Heyd will join EOP to serve and welcome guests,” says Canon Turner. “His participation highlights a common union between our houses of worship. Our shared Gospel values call us to work together to address the needs of the vulnerable.”

Rev. Black Johnston agrees. “The outcry of need is tremendous today,” he says. “At the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street, EOP solves both simple and complex problems through meals and social service interventions. By year end, we will serve over 9,400 nutritious meals and support a client population of some 1,500 individuals, helping them with housing, health care, mental health referrals, and immigration assistance.”

In 2017, the three partner three churches formed EOP to serve people experiencing homelessness and other forms of vulnerability. Two full-time social workers direct the work, assisted by a case manager, a spiritual care chaplain, and a social work intern. By combining their efforts, the three churches provide essential support, including coats, a hot meal, and access to social workers and a case manager, all in a safe and accessible space.

“This program model is an example of how compassion and collaboration inspire great things for those we serve,” says Christine Boyle, Director of Outreach & Missions at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. “Our three houses of worship work hand in hand with each other and with our volunteers. Through Warmly Wrapped and our daily ministries, EOP helps the vulnerable and remembers the forgotten, as together we prepare for the winter to come.”

To learn more about EOP, please visit fapc.org/eop.