Face to Face Germantown sees a lot of need in its neighborhood, and since 1984 has been working hard to alleviate it. Starting with a hot meal service, other offerings were soon added, including legal assistance, a produce market, haircuts, preschool, showers, a clothing closet and more, all available free of charge. 

Its latest offering came almost a year ago. A group of volunteers at Broad Street Love, a Center City organization with a similar mission, approached the staff at Face to Face Germantown with a suggestion. “They reached out to us, asking if we’d be interested in starting a mending service,” explained Ally Monteiro, volunteer manager at Face to Face Germantown. “Last summer, I went to Broad Street Love to observe their mending program.” 

Sharing a good thing

Broad Street Love — formerly Broad Street Ministry — is housed along the Avenue of the Arts in a former Presbyterian church that’s now registered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. There, beneath a soaring cathedral ceiling and stained glass, a group of volunteers meets once a week for the humble work of mending clothing belonging to the group’s guests. 

Last September, Face to Face began spreading the word about its own new service with flyers in their dining room and announcements on Sundays. At the beginning, the Broad Street Love group provided volunteer menders. Now, Face to Face has a rotating cadre of 10 volunteers, some local to the city and others coming from Montgomery County or the Main Line. They are scheduled three or four at a time, gathering at the organization’s 123 E. Price St. location on Monday mornings. One of the volunteers, Winnie Backlund, came from the Center City group and oversees the scheduling with volunteer management software.

On a hot and humid Monday morning in early June, there was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere in Face to Face’s dining room. Guests engaged in lively conversations as the breakfast service wound down. At one end of the room, a guest played piano, while three women were busy at work guiding cloth through sewing machines. 

“I come here for breakfast, and I’ve seen the ladies sewing,” noted a guest named Jason. "So when my backpack got ripped, I brought it here to them. I’m thankful for the service they offer.”

“A guest will sign in and we give them a number in line,” Backlund explained as she rummaged through a bag of buttons for a replacement on a pair of jeans. “We start mending as the requests come in.” 

At the next machine, another mender added Velcro to a hoodie that was missing a zipper. 

The menders tackle a variety of repairs. Frequent requests include patching pants’ knees and fixing zippers, and mending tote bags and backpack straps. On this day, the more challenging tasks included altering the size of a garment and a request to change a skirt into a pair of shorts. 

Supplies such as fabric, buttons, and zippers are provided through the organization’s volunteer budget. “When we’re not busy — which is almost never — we make cellphone bags, which are very popular,” Backlund added. 

Sewing connections

The service was an instant success and has grown rapidly. “When we started, we wondered, ‘Will we have people who need things mended?’” recalled Executive Director Mary Kay Meeks-Hank.  “We learned there is definitely a need. Now, the menders will still be working an hour after our ending time.” As a result, the organization hopes to expand and offer mending services twice a week, beginning in the fall.

There’s also currently a waitlist of potential volunteers. Those eager to become menders review a list of parameters to assure they have the necessary sewing skills, both by hand and using a sewing machine; are comfortable interacting with the public; and don’t mind handling items that might not be clean. 

With the Center City group well established, as well as another at Hub of Hope in the concourse at Suburban Station, the Face to Face menders knew what to expect at their program, but surprises still popped up. “I didn’t realize how many guests wanted to learn how to sew,” Monteiro said. “So, we’re thinking about adding sewing lessons.”

Just as they were mentored by the Broad Street Love group, Monteiro feels Face to Face can be an inspiration to groups in other neighborhoods. “I see it spreading. It’s so rewarding, to see the dignity you’re offering to someone. What you’re mending might be someone’s precious possession, or a last piece of a connection to a better time.”

Plus, Meeks-Hank said, it’s not just about indulging in one’s hobby for a good cause: “It’s an opportunity for people who might not ever come to Germantown, and to realize the humanity of people experiencing poverty.” 

The mending service takes place at Face to Face Germantown, 123 E. Price St., Mondays from 10 a.m.-noon. For more information, contact Ally Monteiro at ally@facetofacegermantown.org or 215-849-0179.