by Vicki-Ann Downing Brockton Enterprise June 11, 2008 As much as the ministry of My Brother’s Keeper means to the families it serves, it means just as much to the volunteers. Each year, 100 students from Stonehill College and another 150 from Catholic high schools volunteer at the Easton-based non-profit. Most are from upper middle-class or affluent families, said Jim …
"Golfers make pitch for charity"
By Matthew Leonido, Enterprise special correspondent Last year, the rain put a damper on the first charity golf tournament for My Brother’s Keeper, but its second annual event Friday was held in the sunshine, and drew more golfers in its first day than the entire three-day event last year. “Tough weather last year, but the sun is shining, God is …
"Special delivery"
by Sandy Coleman Boston Globe January 25, 2007 In a world hungry for giant plasma TVs and supersized mansions, Jim and Terry Orcutt have chosen the other extreme. They live in a modest rented apartment. They drive old cars. And their furniture is, by their own estimation, not as nice as the furniture they deliver daily to area families in …
"Helping one family at a time"
by Beverly Beckham Boston Globe December 17, 2006 Terry Orcutt spends her days on the phone and most evenings, too, listening, taking notes, asking questions. “Where do you live? What do you need? How many children do you have?” Her concern is real. Her love for people she doesn’t know is real, too. It’s what drives her and what sustains …
"More people than ever need a helping hand"
By Elaine Allegrini, Enterprise staff writer Last year’s high heating costs, combined with the ever-rising cost of living, has left a residual effect on those who live on the edge, according to area social service leaders. With the winter heating season just a cold-spell away and the holiday season on the doorstep, requests for food stamps, heating assistance and holiday …
"They give gifts and keep faith"
By Beverly Beckham, Boston Herald columnist Three time a day they stop and pray. There’s a prayer room outside the warehouse. Prayer keeps them on course. Prayer keeps them focused on God. It’s all about God at My Brother’s Keeper. You step into the warehouse, converted for Christmas into Santa’s workshop, and it’s magical. You hear “Frosty the Snowman” and …
"College students learn to give of selves"
By Michael P. Quinlan, Patriot Ledger For Jim Orcutt, there is a poor side of town everywhere he goes. In frayed apartment buildings, small rooming houses and homeless shelters throughout southeastern Massachusetts he meets people nestled in their worries and fears, barely holding on. Some are filled with quiet desperation or cynical resignation, hovering below the horizon of prosperity that …
"The hard lives of the needy made easier"
By Beverly Beckham, Boston Herald columnist The call to My Brother’s Keeper came a few days before. “What do you need?” Terry Orcutt had asked. That’s what she always says. There are no histories taken. No judgments made. Ask and you shall receive. It’s that simple. The woman needed everything, but she asked only for beds for her three children. …