Reedswood Christian Church, located on Meredith Drive in Gloucester, recently launched its outreach ministry called ReHome.

According to the ministry’s mission statement, the purpose of the program “is to reach those that are restarting their lives on the Middle Peninsula. Once they have established housing, our goal is to outfit their house and help to turn it into a home with the comforts and necessities that often go unnoticed and overlooked.”

Andrea Anderson, communications director for the church, thought of the idea when her friend wrote that she was thankful for trash bags last Thanksgiving season. Anderson was perplexed by this and her friend told her that she had to go without trash bags for more than a year when she had to start her life over from scratch. Her friend told her that trash bags cost the same as cereal, milk and other necessities and she had to make the choice.

“You don’t think about trash bags being a luxury item,” said Anderson.

Trash bags, cleanin...