AGAWAM – With winter on the horizon, Wreaths With a Reason is accommodating residents as much as possible during these tough times.

The nonprofit organization, which was founded by Agawam resident Mary-Ann Dietschler, sells homemade wreaths to people all across the country. Aside from wreath-making supplies, the majority of the money made from wreath sales goes towards organizations dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of human trafficking victims. Her and her volunteers have been doing this for a little over six years now.

Dietschler and company are gearing up for the holidays and the winter season by making as many wreaths as possible each week. On Nov. 21, she hosted a wreath event in her garage so people can come by and purchase wreaths that they are interested in.

“We do these [events] a few times a year … in the spring, and the fall, and just before the holidays,” said Dietschler. “We open my garage, and it is loaded with wreaths, and so we’ll have people coming.’’

According to the Wreaths With a Reason website, the holiday wreath event this year raised around $2,600. Dietschler said that through advertising, they were able to sell 20 wreaths online prior to the event.

“I have been shipping them all over the place,” said Dietschler. “The farthest we’ve shipped is California, but this year, we’ve shipped to North Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey.”

According to Dietschler, COVID-19 hasn’t affected her organization all that much. She and her volunteers continue to meet on Mondays to  gather supplies on their “wreath-making day.” Once they do that, they go home and create the wreaths, and bring them back on the following Monday.

“Because I have porch pick-up, people can order online, they can pay online, they can pick up at my door without even seeing another human being,” said Dietschler. “And I think because more people are staying home, we have sold more [wreaths] than ever.”

She said that people have recently been calling her asking if they can buy wreaths so they can have something “cheerful” to look forward to when decorating their house for the holidays. The organization also directly delivers wreaths to residents’ houses who are local.

“And some people will just call me and ask if they can look in the garage, and I just open the doors, and they pick what they want,” said Dietschler. “So surprisingly, it [COVID-19] hasn’t really affected us.”

In a normal holiday season, Dietschler and her volunteers would be present at craft fairs accompanied by their wreaths, but since that will not be happening in 2020, her goal is to sell as many wreaths as possible in the coming months on Facebook and their website.

“We do a lot for winter, because sometimes when a person takes down their Christmas tree, there’s a letdown, and they want to put something up, but it’s too early for Valentine’s Day,” said Dietschler. “So we will do some winter themes.”

Dietschler wants to emphasize that her volunteers will make anything that residents ask for. There are also wreaths for those who celebrate the upcoming Hanukkah season.

“Our wreaths are really beautiful, our price point is reasonable, and they [residents who buy the wreaths] want to support our cause,” said Dietschler.

If residents would like to support causes and organizations that rescue those who have been victims of human trafficking, they can visit the Wreaths With a Reason website to find prices and other information: https://wreathswithareason.com. Prices vary based on wreath.

To learn more about the background behind this operation,  read Reminder Publishing’s previous coverage at https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/agawam/wreaths-with-a-reason-working-to-end-sex-trafficki/.