‘Baked Blessings’ project gives Morristown homeless a holiday treat

MADISON  On an afternoon in mid-December, Christopher Caulfield and his wife, Ashley, were baking dozens of cookies — chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, and snickerdoodle. Together, they had enjoyed it but were mindful of their tight deadline: to bake and package these sweet treats in five days to be given to homeless people in Morristown so they had a taste of love, friendship, hope, and some holiday cheer at Christmastime.

Meanwhile, Jane Delvin of Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham Township was getting anxious. On Dec. 15, a request went out to young adults at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization here, who include the Caulfields, from Wayside Well, Devlin’s ministry to “homeless friends,” asking them to bake and package about 15 tins of cookies by Dec. 19. She planned to give out the cookies by Christmas Day. On the Dec. 19 deadline day, Devlin felt confused as she walked into St. Paul’s and did not see cookies waiting for her at the front desk. Then a young adult group member led her into the center’s kitchen where 35 tins were stacked on the counter — more than what she had requested, which left her “stunned and speechless.”

In addition to 12 St. Paul’s young adults, Devlin also received tins of cookies from other “baker angels” at Assumption Parish in Morristown and from Chatham Township, including Corpus Christi parishioners. Together, they brought the total number of tins to 50. She also received some store-bought cookies. Her project, called “Baking Bles­sings,” also yielded of total of $320 worth of $10 gift cards to coffee shops. From Dec. 23 to 25, Devlin made visit to Morristown to give out the cookies and gift cards to the homeless people scattered around town. She told them, “These were specially baked by people, who care,” she told them.

“I saw how my homeless friends were made happy by the yummy treats and gift cards,” said Devlin, who started her small but thriving Wayside Well in 2019. “There were smiles on their faces. They each said, ‘Thank you for making us feel not forgotten and less alone.’ One man said, ‘This is a sign from God that everything is going to be OK.’ I nearly cried, when he said that,” she said.

Originally, Devlin had emailed the co-coordinators of the Young Adult Min­istry at St. Paul’s, Chris Caulfield and Stacy Nolan, on Dec. 11 about the request for cookies and gift cards. They referred the request to Bart Luczynski, coordinator of the young adults’ service projects, who oversaw “Baked Blessings” at St. Paul’s. “They embraced my last-minute request immediately,” Devlin said.

“I saw the joy on their faces of the St. Paul’s young adults, when they put their faith into action. They were so happy to give their time and energy. I was moved not only by their abundant generosity without hesitation, but also by their readiness to coordinate the service project at such short notice,” Devlin said.

Also a member of St. Paul’s music ministry, Chris Caulfield said, “This was a great opportunity to help people in the area, who need it. It feels good to get involved. Wayside Well is a great ministry. Jane gives homeless people a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen to them. She uses the gifts that God gave her to serve the people are around her. She shows that you don’t have to change the world but you can change the people around you.”

To date, Devlin has befriended more than 100 homeless people, connecting with them on a personal level. Some she sees regularly and others pass by her just once. Wayside Well extends the gift of friendship and compassion that radiates and love of Christ to them, she said. She finds them on benches, sidewalks, street corners, grassy knolls, and even in local warming centers, shelters, and homeless hotels. She talks with them and gives them a little bit of comfort — sandwiches, drinks, and snacks, and some necessities, such as clothing and toiletries, donated by benefactors of the non-profit, non-denominational organization. She also celebrates the birthdays of the homeless people with cakes, cards, and small gifts, Devlin said.

“Homeless people live a life of impermanency, transiency, and sometimes even anonymity and often we come to confuse rootlessness with disvalue,” said Devlin, adding that Wayside Well recognizes that it cannot solve the complex reality of homelessness. “Our focus is to see buried deep under layers of filth and exhaustion, years of abuse growing up, and addictions, humiliation, and rejection, angry rantings, and quiet hopelessness, much or all, which often accompany homelessness, that there lies a soul, a person — we extend to that person friendship and kindness. Wayside Well exists to see in the homeless what they forgot in themselves and to see God in them,” she said.

The “ingredients” for Baked Blessings started coming together, after a talk on Wayside Well that she gave at Assumption in October. Two women of the parish asked her if they could bake cakes, which she thought would be difficult logistically. Later, she sought the help of those women in the cookie project, along with four bakers from Chatham Township, Devlin said.

Luczynski not only coordinated “Baked Blessings” at St. Paul, but baked three dozen what he called “jewel cookies.” or “thumbprint cookies”: butter cookies with candied preserves in the center. The project was promoted with the young adults on social media. An announcement was made Dec. 15 at St. Paul’s at evening Mass, which was celebrated by Father Jared Brogan, director of the diocesan Office of Worship. In his homily, he spoke about serving others, Luczynski said.

“This project was super successful. Even through it was small, it was made with great love for homeless people in Morristown,” Luczynski said.