With colder weather approaching, people living on the streets of Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood face another challenging winter, many without warm coats, blankets or other essentials.
In Yardley and Lower Makefield, residents are donating supplies to help.
Lifelong Yardley resident Casey Cloman first felt motivated to help people struggling with substance use and mental health challenges while studying behavioral health counseling at Drexel University in 2014. During an addictions class, she heard Angels in Motion founder speak about searching the streets of Kensington for her son, who was struggling with substance use disorder, and helping others she encountered along the way.
Cloman, whose own family had experienced substance use and mental health challenges, was moved by the founder’s story and the needs of people who often go without services. She became involved with Angels in Motion, known as AIM, and has volunteered with the nonprofit for about five years.
Her involvement grew after she began dating her now-husband, who in December will be celebrating eight years in recovery from substance use disorder. Through him, she met others navigating recovery and mental health challenges and found additional ways to help. Today, Cloman serves on AIM’s board and conducts street outreach in Kensington every Wednesday, distributing supplies and building relationships with people who may need assistance.
She also volunteers at blessing bag parties, where volunteers assemble bags containing snacks, drinks, encouraging notes and information about available resources. Cloman helps distribute these bags to people living on the streets in Kensington.
AIM is entirely volunteer-run and depends on donations to continue its work. Cloman and her husband live in the Yardley Hunt development, where she began asking neighbors for supplies to help people in Kensington. About three years ago, while pregnant and unable to participate in street outreach, she turned to the development’s Facebook group to organize a coat drive. She asked residents to donate coats, blankets, gloves, hats and other cold-weather essentials, which she passed along to AIM.
Yardley Hunt residents responded generously. Last year, Cloman expanded her efforts to the Lower Makefield is a Great Place to Live Facebook group. While she and her husband were on vacation, she posted a request after seeing several Code Blue days announced. The response was overwhelming. The couple watched through their Ring doorbell camera as neighbors dropped off bags of supplies, and Cloman eventually had to ask a neighbor to open their garage to make room for the donations.
“When I got home, there were over 30 trash bags filled with donations,” she said.
The donations included coats, along with blankets and other essentials. Since then, residents have continued to contribute, with more than 70 bags of supplies donated and countless additional items purchased through AIM’s Amazon wish list.
Cloman estimates that about 90% of the donations she personally brings to Kensington come from Yardley and Lower Makefield.
“Seeing my own neighborhood helping these people shows that there’s so much love to give to strangers... to clothe someone with dignity or just make them feel a little bit seen, and considering how dark this world can be, especially at this time, it’s a nice little light to see flicker on,” she said.
“I want to thank the Yardley community and share this story to highlight the real impact local residents are making. Through the community’s generous donations and the time and dedication of our volunteers, Angels in Motion has been able to expand its presence throughout the Philadelphia area and deliver blessing bags three days a week, having delivered over 17,000 blessing bags this year alone."
The organization connects people with treatment resources, transportation and recovery housing, Cloman said. Volunteers work to establish relationships without judgment, allowing people to ask for help when they are ready.
“When I’m in Kensington helping people, we try not to have any judgment; what I try to do is develop a relationship with trust and hope and slowly over time, create a safe place where people might hopefully say, ‘I think I need recovery treatment’ or ‘I think I need help,’” she said.
For Cloman, the work also reflects her own experience living with a serious mental health disorder.
“As someone who has lived with severe mental health issues, it helps my mental health helping people,” she said. “The best thing I could do for myself is go into the streets of Kensington and help people and give back, not expecting anything in return.”
Cloman wants people to understand that helping does not require going into Kensington themselves. Donating a warm coat or packing a bag of clothing can make a difference, especially when someone is facing cold weather without the basics.
“It’s so nice to be able to give someone a really nice warm jacket when that was probably the only kindness they have seen all week,” Cloman said. “And knowing it’s from my hometown, it’s heartwarming; I could cry.”
Cloman said she especially wants to thank the people of Yardley and Lower Makefield who have donated supplies, purchased items from AIM’s wish list and helped spread the word. Their generosity allows her to bring practical help to people who might otherwise go without warm clothing and other necessities.
Although AIM’s outreach primarily takes place in Kensington, AIM also helps Bucks County residents struggling with substance use disorders due to a recent grant from the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission. This grant has enabled this nonprofit to help six or eight people enter recovery housing in Bucks County, covering several weeks of rent so they are able to focus on treatment and intensive outpatient programs. Many recovery homes are located in Levittown.
“Even if you live in this area and we can’t physically get you treatment, we can be an ear for you to talk to,” said Cloman. “If you're suffering from addiction or mental health issues, please know you are not alone. Reach out to us so we can help the community that has helped us so much.”
As temperatures drop, AIM needs hand warmers, foot warmers, blankets, comforters, jackets, thick sweaters and shoes. Clothing can be new or gently used, but underwear must be new (adult sizes only).
Residents can find current needs and donation requests through AIM’s Instagram account, @AIM_Philly, and its Facebook page, Angels in Motion - Philadelphia. Cloman also posts requests in the Yardley Hunt and Lower Makefield Facebook groups, including “Lower Makefield is a Great Place to Live” and “LMT is a Great Place to Give!”
People who want to donate can message Cloman through those pages to arrange a drop-off. Local businesses interested in collecting supplies can also contact her about setting up a donation box.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, help is available. Reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988 or texting 988. Support is confidential, free, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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