Wayland's Generosity Called Upon to Rescue Fund for Needy

Look around Wayland. You'll see comfortable, even impressive homes, manicured lawns and families out and about. What you likely will not see are homeless people sleeping on park benches or a mile-long line outside a town soup kitchen.

But just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there. Wayland isn't immune to the economic troubles plaguing communities around the country.

No one knows this better than the individuals at area religious organizations and at the Wayland Community Fund who receive requests for financial assistance. Those requests, they agree, have increased during the past couple of years.

In particular, Mike Patterson, director of the Wayland Community Fund, said his organization has seen so many requests that, unless the fund receives some significant donations very soon, he estimates the fund will have to suspend its operations by the end of December.

He’s seen the fund grow depleted before, but not at “quite this accelerated” a pace.

Widespread Needs

Times have changed since the Wayland Community Fund first began helping residents in 1997.

Since then, the economy has crashed and struggled to recover only to leave many people still without jobs and, to add insult to injury, the cost of food, fuel, clothing and other essentials has soared while the amount of disposable income for many families has plunged.

These factors together have left more individuals and families reaching out for help from the Wayland Community Fund but perhaps more importantly, they need to reach out for more than they have in the past, Patterson said.

In the beginning, the gifts the Wayland Community Fund provided were “quite modest,” Patterson said, explaining that the fund, which was created through a bequest from the late Suzanne Leavitt, generally gives about $35,000-$40,000 in assistance each year. The fund provides assistance by paying expenses such as rent, utility bills, medical bills and food; it does not provide cash directly to individuals.

“We’re running out of money because there have been so many requests this year,” Patterson said. “The problem is that the frequency of requests and magnitude has increased.”

Rev. Ken Sawyer serves at in Wayland and said he too has received more requests for assistance in recent years. He insists it still isn’t a great number – probably four or five a year as opposed to “a few” in years past – but it’s an increase nonetheless.

For those few needs, Sawyer said he “can help out in some small ways.”

When it comes to helping congregants “through a tough spot,” First Parish established the Ellen Draper Fund about a century ago specifically to assist “the worthy, sick and needy.” Sawyer said he hasn’t seen an increase in activity related to that fund, which is more representative of his particular parish’s needs.

Where it does seem the increased needs have affected Sawyer’s congregants is in the number of people willing to dig a little deeper and give a little more to help someone else.

Rising Up to Meet the Need

That spirit of helping out extends to other religious organizations in town as well. Ann Greenawalt is the co-chair of the social action committee at . In her experience, greater need means greater generosity.

“We know intellectually there is a greater need,” Greenawalt said. “And our collections are bigger because people know what’s going on.”

Congregation Or Atid generally handles requests for assistance on an “ad hoc” basis, Greenawalt explained. “When we need things, we send out a call,” she said. “If there’s a call for winter clothing, we broadcast it to the congregation and we always get what we need.”

She knows that there are people in the congregation who have lost jobs or who are struggling to get by, but, she said, in spite of that (or perhaps because of it) charitable giving has remained steady if not increased.

“I think people feel like if they can put food on the table, they can give a little bit or a little bit more,” Greenawalt said. “You realize how easy it is not to do things. Do you have to go out to eat? Do you have to order out? No, you don’t.”

Patterson is hoping Greenawalt is right, and people contribute their coffee money or dinner-out funds to the Wayland Community Fund in the coming days.

The fund recently distributed its first-ever direct mailing hoping to drum up not only support, but also awareness.

Patterson said he knows there are people who need help now that have never needed it before. And, because the Wayland Community Fund requires some financial disclosure from the individuals it assists, asking for help can seem “humiliating.” Still, Patterson’s hope is that the fund can assist anyone who reaches out, but that requires Wayland residents to step up and give.

“I’m getting a bit uneasy,” Patterson admitted.

In a recent press release, Patterson implored Wayland residents to “help support our neighbors in need. … We hope that the community will respond generously to assist those neighbors who are having a tough time.”

Contributions can be sent to the Wayland Community Fund c/o Treasurer/Collector’s Office, Wayland Town Building, 41 Cochituate Road, Wayland, MA 01778.

You can find more articles from this ongoing series, “Dispatches: The Changing American Dream” from across the country at The Huffington Post.