2013 was a historic year for My Brother’s Keeper. We made headlines several times as we celebrated our 25th anniversary, opened our Dartmouth facility, made our 100,000th delivery (see inside) and ended with a record setting Christmas program.

With the help of 3,000 volunteers and thousands of supporters, My Brother’s Keeper delivered gifts and food this Christmas to more people in more places than ever before: 2,760 families—10,900 children and parents!— living in 80 communities from Haverhill to Boston to Harwich. Remarkably, we accomplished all this despite a very late Thanksgiving and 2 days lost to snow storms.

These numbers and milestones are impressive but only one thing matters in the end: that we accomplished our mission ‘To bring the Love and Hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve’…one family, one volunteer, one delivery at a time.

The words of those we serve make it clear that God is using My Brother’s Keeper today just as beautifully as ever. Here’s a letter and picture sent by ‘Laura,’ a North Shore mom who received our help this Christmas:

With my son’s cancer diagnosis, our lives turned upside down. I have been by his side 24 hours a day since August. Since my time and energy has been focused on his daily care, I have been unable to work or give my daughter the attention she deserves. As Christmas approached, I realized that there was no way I could provide gifts for my children. I had neither the time nor the money to shop.

My children and I had to spend Christmas at Children’s Hospital, but thanks to you, Santa delivered gifts to them while they slept Christmas Eve. Prayers and the amazing skills of the doctors are helping my son improve and now you have been the instrument to answer my prayers for Christmas.

Thank you all so much. I will never forget how you brought joy into our lives during some of our darkest moments. Please keep my son in your prayers. — Laura

Laura thanks you and we do too! Thank you for being so generous and so dedicated to My Brother’s Keeper… for helping us be the light of Christ to so many of our brothers and sisters in their time of need.

As remarkable and news-worthy as 2013 was, 2014 will be our best year yet! We probably won’t make headlines this year but with your help and God’s blessing, we will serve more families with more volunteers than ever before. That means God will give us more opportunities than ever to accomplish our mission… to bring His Love and Hope into the world…and that’s what matters in the end.