On a chilly January morning, the Rev. Mary Davisson climbs up the stern ramp of the
Tonsberg, an enormous ship bobbing in the murky waters at the Port of Baltimore. Davisson, the executive director and port chaplain of has spent much of her nearly two-decade career helping foreign crew members arriving in port, whether it is giving them a lift into town to buy personal items or just enjoying a coffee with them.
Nowadays the visits are short, just enough time for her to drop off packages that seafarers had delivered to her home, some magazines and other goodies.
"Since COVID started, we've been taking them Hershey's Kisses with a little handout that says 'we can't shake your hand, but we can give you Hershey's Kisses,' " she says.