Clothing donations being accepted
The Archdiocese of Baltimore is helping sailors from the Philippines with a clothing drive through their outreach center in Dundalk.
Monsignor John Fitzgerald helps look through a bag of donated clothing for Filipino sailors in need of the basics to send home.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore's Apostleship of the Sea is a volunteer ministry in Dundalk that helps seafarers from all over the world and services run the gamut, including errands while in port.
"We take them shopping. They need to go to the doctor, optometrist. Their glasses need fixing or something," Fitzgerald said.
They also deliver Christmas boxes filled with the basics to ships in port.
"It's actually a bright spot in their day," Director of Operations Andrew Middleton said.
But for seafarers from the Philippines a bright spot is hard to come by. Some 2,500 ships or so come through the Port of Baltimore a year and Fitzgerald said they are heavily crewed by Filipinos, mostly men who are signed to contracts, unable to go home for months.
"They can't leave the ship to get home to their wife, their parents, their children, where ever their loved ones are or family tree might be," Fitzgerald said. "Just role play in your own life: What would it be like if you heard that your house no longer exists and your family's on the street and you can't get to them?"
As they do for all seafarers, the apostleship provides free Internet, Skype and cell services to those trying to reach their loved ones and they're shipping donations to the Philippines.
"They can come here and they can grab some clothes, especially if you're to be signing off soon just to have something to take home with them because they might not have anything when they get home," Middleton said.
The Archdiocese is asking for clothing for all ages, toiletries and non-perishables with drop-offs made by appointment.
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