Health

West Boylston church sends thousands of ‘Letters of Hope’ to front-line workers during pandemic

BOSTON — A West Boylston church has sent more than 4,000 letters offering hope and encouragement to workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Next Level Church, with locations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Florida, launched the "Letters of Hope" project, sending handwritten messages to essential works and others who may need encouragement.

"As a church, we just want to come alongside other people in our community and write handwritten letters, which we don't really see that often these days," said Bryan Levangie, location pastor of Next Level Church in West Boylston. "Letters just saying, 'Hey. We love you, we care about you, we want to share our hope and encouragement to you."

Church staff reach out to local medical facilities, first responders, grocery stores and other facilities and businesses, offering the letters. Some people reach out to the church and request the letters for others who they know may need the support.

"Whatever we can do to support our community is our ultimate goal," Levangie said.

Levangie said his church is working on sending more than 10,000 letters to all personnel within the UMass Memorial Health Care's facilities in the Worcester area.

The church now has more than 16,000 requested letters, about a quarter of which have been written and mailed.

"I'm sending 2,200 letters to a nursing home facility in our area," Levangie said. "I can't wait for the people who live there and the workers to receive a letter from somebody who said, 'I care about you, and I'm praying for you right now, and I just want to give you a little bit of hope in this difficult time.'"

To join the church’s efforts, visit their site here.

Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts

>> Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here


RESOURCES:

- Massachusetts Coronavirus Information

- Boston Coronavirus Information

- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW

- Download our free apps for your phone and smart TV