By Gabbie Burton
Contributing Writer

When Stacey McMann was traveling in and out of Philadelphia for work 10 years ago, she couldn’t help but notice the struggles and the suffering of homeless people lining the streets of her commute. Simply noticing their condition was not enough for the West Grove resident. She felt compelled to help. 

“Growing up in Chester County, it was really my first time to be spending a significant amount of time in downtown Philadelphia and seeing how many people were living on the street,” McMann said. “I would see so many folks that were homeless and wish there was something more that I could do to help their situation.”

McMann, who grew up in Parkesburg, found the idea of blessing bags on social media and felt inspired to begin her MSSN:Share blessing bag project. Blessing bags, as McMann described, are Ziploc or paper bags full of useful essentials including socks, food, hygiene products, money and notes of encouragement that are then distributed to homeless people. 

“When we first started doing this, we were trying to collect toiletries from hotels,” McMann said. “We were using Ziploc bags and you couldn't fit so much in the bag.”

In the 10 years since she began her blessing bags, McMann has grown the project to include more and bigger bags and increased fundraising efforts. McMann said she now uses large paper bags to fit three compartments for hygiene products, winter essentials and food. She does about three to four drops of 25 bags each per year, focusing on the Center City area. McMann said that the growth of the project was aided by social media and community support.

“It started out as an idea that my sisters and my mom really encouraged. They jumped right in and started helping me put together bags and source things from their friends and communities for the bags,” she said. “We’ve had neighbors, friends, and co-workers help. I have had some support from church groups, but it’s been just a private operation. It’s been made public through social media.”

In 2023, McMann began receiving support on the project from her friend, Diana Mazzei, who McMann described as her “road warrior.” Mazzei's efforts include bringing in additional donors, assisting on drops and becoming the chef of the project, providing homemade sandwiches for each drop including turkey gobblers for thanksgiving and grilled ham and cheese for Easter. Thanks to Mazzei’s efforts, McMann shared that operations were able to double since her inclusion three years ago. 

McMann explained that due to the operation being mostly independent, she primarily funds the project herself. In 2023, McMann started creating and selling jewelry and magnets to help ease the financial burden and raise additional funds for the bags. McMann finds inspiration for her products through her love of live music and her favorite band, Goose, letting their music influence her jewelry and magnet designs.

“The people that purchase a lot of the jewelry and the magnets that I've designed tend to be from a community of people that follow this band and love the jam scene and live music,” she said. “It’s interesting how this community in particular cares deeply about people that aren't even in their state sometimes, or their network so I've been grateful and blessed I tapped into that because that wasn't really part of the plan.”

McMann shared that sales for the jewelry and magnets have spread all across the country and far beyond just the Chester County and Philadelphia communities she is a part of. 

“There are so many people that want to help, and it's funny because they're not even connected to the Philadelphia area or the folks around Chester County,” McMann said. “It seems that everybody knows somebody that could use a little help.” 

Though everyone may know someone in need of a little help, McMann is able to help them directly and connect with them. McMann said she finds joy in this experience, even admitting that she can feel selfish at times because of how fulfilling she finds the work to be. Though she shared the work is not always easy and the emotional toll can be heavy, over the 10 years of giving out blessing bags, McMann has made unforgettable memories and shared connections with people she would have otherwise never known, making it all worth it.

“There's this one person in particular, her name is Rose, and I remember that because my mom's name is Rose, and she has got the biggest, brightest, megawatt smile you've ever seen,” McMann said. “Every time I see her now it just strikes me how you can have so much and not share a smile like that with a stranger. Here this lady has nothing and she's truly grateful to receive these items. She made a big impression on me.”

McMann is currently planning her next drop of blessing bags for Easter with a new magnet design to help raise funds and plans to include grilled ham and cheese sandwiches in the bags to mark the holiday. 

Moving forward, McMann plans on continuing the bag drops quarterly and is working on building a website. Additionally, McMann hopes to secure 501(c)(3) nonprofit status for MSSN: Share in order to reach more people in need. 

Though McMann may just be one person, trying to aid a vast and systemic issue, she has managed to create an impact. Though it has taken hard effort and personal sacrifice, McMann acknowledges that whatever difficulty she faces pales in comparison to the difficulties the homeless communities are facing. Being able to share her love and peace with others who need it more is what McMann described as her motivator.

“I really feel, in our culture today, there's this movement to protect your peace,” McMann said. “I don't believe that. I believe that peace is meant to be shared. If you withdraw from the situation, you're just keeping it moving full speed. But if you are willing to move toward love and toward chaos, you can make such an impact.”

For more information or to contact Stacey McMann regarding how you can help, email [email protected].