Agape Latte Campaign

Starting this week, if you happen to stroll by the BC Bookstore, you’ll notice a sign

outside advertising Agape Latte’s latest campaign in partnership with the university’s primary

purveyor of books and BC fashion. It warmly exhorts you to “Donate a BC Scarf for the

homeless this winter.”

This is the latest in a long history of Agape Latte events around campus, all aimed at

helping students spread the love of God among themselves, and now also to the homeless of Boston.

To get a little more background on this new project as well as the mission of Agape Latte in general, I interviewed Ms. Eileen Corkerey, Assistant Director at the C21 Center. Agape Latte began in 2006 under the patronage of the C21 Center and Campus Ministry in order to, in Eileen’s words, “Spread the love of God to others” and share the impact God has had on peoples’ lives through personal witness and a sense of community on campus. Thus, Agape Latte’s most well-known events are its monthly coffee nights at Hillside Cafe, where speakers offer testimony to agapic love in their lives, as well as the nationally-acclaimed “Espresso your Faith Week.”  By partnering with high schools and other colleges, Agape Latte has established itself across the nation. 

Another one of Agape Latte’s recent events which students may know more about is the

distribution of Valentine’s Day letters. The mission of the organization is well summed up in its name; agape is an Ancient Greek word referring to a certain kind of love best translated in a word as ‘charity,’ in a phrase as ‘total self-giving.’ The means of communication? Everyday interactions, like a cup of coffee and a conversation, or a meaningful letter.

Thus, this latest scarf campaign is another addition to that self-giving mission, this time

reaching further out beyond the bounds of a campus or school. As advertised, Agape Latte is

reaching out to the homeless of downtown Boston in these bitter winter months.

Some needs are perennial for the homeless, such as food, water, and especially socks and the other small amenities of clothing we frequently take for granted. While outreach programs and soup kitchens do what they can to provide for the former two needs, extra, fresh clothing is never turned down by homeless persons.

If you think taking a walk between your dorm and your class is a bitter affair in these

winter months, it won’t take much thought to see why winter gear is especially crucial to provide

to the homeless from November all through March in most years; January and February are particularly hard months. 

Thus, Agape Latte’s campaign, backed by the C21 Center and Campus Ministry,

encourages students to purchase a scarf for the homeless at a 20% discount at the BC Bookstore as one more way to spread agapic love. These scarves have been placed right next to the checkout registers.

The campaign presents an admirable opportunity for almsgiving during this beginning of the season of Lent and as the winter makes its last stand in the approach of March. 

There’s one more bit to the campaign, one which people may easily overlook but could be just as important as the scarf itself: Students can attach a note to their purchase, addressed to its recipient.

Utterly far from being animals with only basic needs to be met, homeless people

frequently seek out normal social interactions with those around them, and are often frustrated in this respect. Though a note may seem like a small thing, it can make someone’s day or even week, provide some small ray of hope to someone in dire straits. Ms. Corkerey expressed hope that the campaign could continue indefinitely, even into the warmer months, albeit with a shift toward more fitting offerings for the season.

Ms. Corkerey encouraged students with other ideas to spread the love of God to reach out to Agape Latte by email. Their information can be found on their BC website under the C21 Center programs.