Tom Kretsch is a longtime Westport, a retired teacher — and a noted photographer. He writes:
The warmth of the holiday spirit was alive and well in Branson Hall at Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church last Wednesday evening.
Festive decorated tables, a tasty dinner, a large assortment of home-baked desserts, holiday music drifting through the air, and of course the arrival of Santa Claus for young ones.
The occasion was Homes with Hope‘s annual holiday party for the many people blessed to have the help and services of this fabulous organization.
In addition to Gillespie Shelter for men and Hoskins Place for women, they offer affordable housing for those in need, meals, a food pantry, counseling, tutoring and so much more.
It was a joy to be there as a guest and a member of the Artists Collective of Westport, which had organized a special “Art from the Heart” project. Through donations by members, every family at the party could choose a piece through a free raffle.
As dinner wound down, it was time for folks to choose their favorites. Everyone had time to view the art beforehand.
Admiring art, before the raffle.
Watching all this evolve was heartwarming. A mother and daughter chose a piece of gorgeous mystical flowers.
A man dressed in holiday clothing chose a stunning portrait of a horse. He held it, then raised it over his head as if he had just won the Super Bowl, singing out in glee.
I walked up to a woman who had chosen one of my photographs, a huge Ferris wheel taken in Wildwood, New Jersey. I introduced myself and told her a little about the image. She was so pleased, and asked to have a picture taken of us.
Tom Kretsch’s Ferris wheel photo.
Ken Runkel, an artist who donated a piece, also spoke with the people who had chosen his. He too was touched by the warmth and gratitude of the recipients.
And so, it went on until the last piece was taken.
As many were gathered by the piano singing holiday songs, I chatted with Helen McAlinden, president and CEO of Homes with Hope. With her sweet Irish accent and always positive spirit, she is a dynamic and charismatic leader.
As we talked, she told me in a whisper that one of the people who had gotten a photograph said to her, “I wish I had a wall to put it on.”
I almost couldn’t comprehend what I had just heard. Is this possible? Here in Westport, someone does not have a wall of their own to put a picture up. He has no personal space.
That touched the core of my being.
Art can do so much for a person — whether making it or looking at it. It can help comfort, soothe, inspire, create, think, imagine, hope, change, care, heal and smile.
The Artists Collective of Westport made a nice step toward bringing art into people’s lives who might not have the means to purchase it through its holiday “Art from the Heart” project.
The next morning Helen took me on a tour of the Gillespie Center. She showed me the fantastic food pantry, and all the facilities of the recently renovated center. I had not been there in a while.
As we walked through the men’s shelter, I passed several of the beds. Lying on them were the pieces of art they received the night before.
I am sure the wish for a “wall of their own” was also in their thoughts.
Phil Ochs wrote a song some years ago, called “There but for Fortune.” It speaks to the fragility of life:
I’ll show you a young man with so many reasons why
And there but for fortune go you or I, you and I.
As we look at our walls, may we all remember our own good fortune.
Tom did an amazing job that evening. Art and music make the heart sing, they are truly gifts from the heart and soul . So happy to be a part of the Artist collective of Westport, doing artful projects for the community. Homes for Hope is an amazing organization🙏🏼❤️💚
Westport is absolutely the best place to call home. We have a wonderful police, fire, EMS and dispatchers that are top notch. The community has always been very giving in trying times. Always hold a special place in my heart for Westport.
Dear Tom,
Thank you for this brilliant article and for your decades of helping those in need in so many kind ways!
I am deeply grateful to you and to the many generous artists of the Artists Collective of Westport who shared their amazing art through the “Art from the Heart” project. On a night filled with festive tables, holiday music by Antonia Nedder, home-baked desserts, and Santa’s joyful arrival, your artwork added something profoundly meaningful: dignity, beauty, and hope.
You captured so perfectly what unfolded in Branson Hall, the quiet moments of admiration before the raffle, the pure delight of a man lifting his horse portrait in triumph, the tender choice made by a mother and daughter, and the pride of an artist standing beside their work as it found a new home. These moments remind us that art is not a luxury; it is comfort, inspiration, and connection, especially when times are not going one’s way.
The words you shared , “I wish I had a wall to put it on”, have stayed with me as well. They speak to the fragile reality faced by so many in our community, even here in Westport. Yet, as you witnessed the next morning at the Gillespie Center, those pieces of art resting on beds told another story: that beauty belongs everywhere, and to everyone.
Westport is indeed a special place. It gives generously, quietly, and consistently to those in need. I will be so happy as the day comes when I see each guest lifting their art, and in many cases a black garbage bags full of their personal belongings, from a shelter bed and hanging it on a wall of their own in an apartment, a rooming house, or back living with family or friends. Until then, these gifts serve as reminders that they are seen, valued, and cared for.
Thank you, Tom, and thank you to all the artists and the many compassionate people of Westport for your kindness, your creativity, and your belief in the power of community. Like Phil Ochs’ words you so beautifully recalled, there but for fortune go you or I. May we always remember our shared humanity and continue to lift one another up.
I also want to thank everyone who brightens the residents stay with home cooked food, while serving the food they talk to the residents and helps them feel special and valued in their temporary home at the Gillespie center and Hoskins place emergency homeless shelter.
With gratitude,
Helen McAlinden
President & CEO, Homes with Hope
Jennifer Bowman Miggs Burroughs
Lynn Carlson
Bonnie Edelman
Susan Fehlinger
Tom Kretsch
Julie Leff
Jay Petrow
Butch Quick
Jodi Rabinowitz
Dorothy Robertshaw
Ken Runkel
Debbie Smith
Rowene Weems
Elizabeth White
Nicole Weeldreyer
Herm Freeman
Here are the names of the artists who contributed their work. Thank you all!
This article is a powerful reminder that Every Day is indeed a Blessing… and that we need to remain mindful of opportunities to make the day a blessing for others.
This is truly beautiful & heartfelt to bring light to the realities of our fragilities and the power of bringing art to homelessness.
Is there an organization that donates actual ART SUPPLIES to these shelters mentioned? It could also possibly aide help through the healing process of homelessness in encouraging forms of art therapy, as each and every one of us could experience homelessness (or has). The longer one is homeless, the more “refugee” & trauma thinking to heal occurs along with other vulnerabilities one who is going through homelessness endures and hopefully survives.