From their comfortable Florida home, where they don’t have to worry about the next paycheck or the next meal, the Bradley family is doing just fine during the coronavirus pandemic.
But while scrolling social media, Erin Bradley, wife of Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., realized that not everybody in similar positions had perspective to see their good fortune.
“The first week we were on quarantine, there were all these people on social media who were saying, ‘we’re going to get through this, we’re in this together,'” she told the Herald by phone. “It just started rubbing me the wrong way. I think it’s coming from a good place, and there’s a good intention behind the encouragement. I applaud them for that. But there needs to be a realization that we’re all going through this, but we’re all in different situations.
“It really wasn’t sitting well with me.”
So Bradley called up Alyssa Brassil, the director of the annual fund at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, and asked what she could do.
“They have been so generous,” Brassil said.
The Bradleys have donated often to the program, and made another donation during the pandemic. Brassil informed them of some more specific major needs of the homeless population during the current crisis.
Boston Health and Human Services chief Marty Martinez told reporters that one in three homeless people in Boston has the coronavirus.
“Right now, we think there’s about close to two hundred cases in the homeless community,” Martinez told WGBH news on Tuesday. “We think that number is probably close to 30 percent of those who were tested.”
With shelters struggling and medical tents being built to help isolate those who have been infected, the BHCHP set up a COVID-19 response fund as well as some wish lists through Amazon to allow people to donate money or purchase critical items like flip-flops, facial tissues and shampoo.
“The rest of the people quarantined can go home,” Brassil said. “The folks we serve have nowhere to go.”
Bradley has been trying to spread the word.
“I have to acknowledge that my boat is completely different from somebody else’s boat,” she said. “We’re very grateful and thankful to be in a financial situation that we are OK and don’t have to worry. We have friends and family members who are worrying about those things.
“You think about the people who are further down on that scale, the homeless community. It’s insane to think about social distancing, we have a home or apartment to hide out in. These people don’t have that. They have nothing.”
Bradley used her social media networks to share a video that her and Jackie made, thanking the folks working on the front lines at the BHCHP.
“They sent a lovely message to our staff, which is so generous and heartwarming,” Brassil said. “We have a daily staff-wide phone call, a Zoom meeting we have to keep everyone updated on what’s happening. We were able to show the video during that and it just boosted morale during a difficult time for our staff.”
We are so grateful for your friendship, kindness and support, @erinhbradley and @JackieBradleyJr. Thank you for these words of encouragement. This message touched our staff and filled us with so much joy. Thank you for being a part of our BHCHP family and community ❤️✨ pic.twitter.com/x1gxk7EBXS
— Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (@BHCHP) April 8, 2020
Bradley acknowledged that there seems to be a misunderstanding about the homeless population.
“A lot of time people are like, ‘oh they’re dirty and smell bad because they have drug addictions,’ ” she said. “But it’s interesting to hear a lot of their stories and hear how a lot of it is generational. It’s something that a lot of them have grown up in because of job loss or they’re veterans and nobody gave them a chance after the fact.”
She’s been part of a coalition of Red Sox players’ wives who have helped collect new socks for the homeless at Red Sox games and volunteered at BHCHP programs during the summer months.
“There are so many different storylines to their lives,” she said. “Because of that, they deserve a chance and deserve support. Whether that means volunteering to hand out food at shelters or a financial donation or just being there to chat to them, I think they’re people like us. It can happen to anybody. The more you sit and talk to them, you realize it can happen.”
Jackie Bradley Jr. has been on the Red Sox for seven years and is a free agent after 2020.
“I think it’s good for fans to see that while we’re here for baseball and it’s our husbands’ jobs, we do become a part of the community, too,” Erin Bradley said. “Our daughter, Emerson, was born in Boston, which may not be a forever home for us, but will always hold a really special spot in our hearts.”
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