››› Smiles of Faith · a Smile Pop homeless outreach
Come pack comfort bagsfor New Yorkers living on the streets
Every holiday season, my patients, family and team spend a few hours filling comfort tote bags and providing essentials, encouragement and plenty of smiles to those in need.
We distribute the bags to people living out on the streets in New York. It gets bigger every year, and you are invited!
This year’s date: Wednesday, November 25, 2026 at 12pm
Picture from our first outreach
- Years running
- 4
- Where we meet
- At Smile Pop
- Who can come
- Anyone. Patients, family, friends, kids
- What it costs
- Nothing. Just a few hours
››› Why we do it
It is the best dayof my year
My faith is an important part of who I am, and Smiles of Faith is where that shows up most visibly at Smile Pop.
Every holiday season I put out a call to my patients, and we spend a few hours packing tote bags and taking them out to people living on the streets here in Manhattan. It started out small, but has gotten bigger every single year: 50 bags in 2023, 100 in 2024, and 200 in 2025. Last year got crazy because the whole office disappeared under pink bags.
Patients bring their kids. People who found us through Instagram show up. Nobody asks whether you go to church. You just have to be willing to help.
What many people don’t know is that every time a patient starts treatment at Smile Pop, we put money into the Smiles of Faith fund. So starting your own smile quietly helps fill someone else’s bag…
››› The day itself
How it works
Sign up on our sign up sheetTell us you are coming and how many people you are bringing. Kids are genuinely welcome, and they are usually the best at it.
We pack the bags together at Smile PopEvery volunteer gets a pink Smiles of Faith beanie when they arrive. Then we set up an assembly line through the office and fill every bag by hand. This is the loud, fun part.
We walk them outWe head out in small groups and hand the bags directly to people. Face to face, not dropped at a door.
What goes in a bag
It is normally cold in New York when we do this, so every bag is packed with essentials. Socks, gloves, a hat and a t-shirt. Toiletries: soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, a comb. Snacks and something to drink. And a $10 Dunkin’ gift card.
And much more! It is always different, but this is typically what is in a bag.
››› Count me in
Put your nameon the list
This year we go out. We start packing bags at 12pm on Wednesday, November 25, 2026 (the day before Thanksgiving).
Tell us you are coming and how many people you are bringing, and we will email you the details closer to the day.
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