By: Justin Graeber, Enterprise
The founders of My Brother’s Keeper, Jim and Terry Orcutt of Easton, sat down with The Enterprise to share their reflections on 25 years of serving others and what keeps them going.
Was there an event in your life that inspired you to create My Brother’s Keeper?
Jim Orcutt: (In 1986, two years before the founding of My Brother’s Keeper) we lived a retreat at Stonehill College with the Holy Cross Fathers called Cursillo.
It was a very profound experience for both of us. At that time, our faith got rejuvenated. We became more involved and we started taking our spirituality and our faith much more seriously. It’s like a farmer, before he plants the seed he prepares the ground.
In the early days of My Brother’s Keeper we had a spring board of people who got involved through that retreat. … The priest and brothers of the congregation of the Holy Cross here in Easton were tremendously encouraging and supportive.
I know you’ve said the pivotal moment for you both was seeing the movie “God Bless the Child.” What happened after that?
Jim: We stayed up until 3 in the morning, and we went into the bedroom and stood in front of the crucifix. We made a covenant really, with God, a mutual promise. … We said, “God, we want to spend the rest of our lives bringing your love and hope to people, but we don’t know what to do.” … The next day, we took magic markers and made up fliers that said we’d collect clothes for people.
We soon learned that the real need was for furniture. People have no access to get furniture, nowhere to deliver it, nowhere to buy it. That was the beginning, that’s how it came about.
Do you remember the first person you helped?
Jim: The first person we helped was a girl named Robin. She had three children and lived up on Warren Avenue.
Terry Orcutt: I can see her face.
Jim: When we got there, (with three beds) we also had sheets and blankets. The older brother, he was about 7, his brother was 3 or 4. I was talking to the mother, and he asked, “Do you have sheets and blankets for my brother?” And I said, “Sure,” so he took the sheet and went and made up his brother’s bed.
That’s not unusual to see that kind of protection. Growing up like that, you become mature before your time.
It seems like you often have a relationship with the people you help that goes deeper than just dropping off furniture.
Jim: We try to have a relationship with the people we serve, but at the same time we don’t want to be intrusive.
Terry: We have one woman who lost her son to the streets of Brockton, she’s had trouble with drugs, and we’ve helped her many times. We have a real friendship. She’ll say, “Terry, I know you people will always help me.”
Is there a typical person you serve?
Jim: Is there a stereotyped person? No. The working poor are all around us. A very large percentage of the people we help work, they just can’t make it in this economy, in this society. … We have no prerequisite for service, no questions asked. You do not have to qualify at My Brother’s Keeper for help.
You must get taken advantage of from time to time.
Jim: Of course! Do people steal from us? Of course. Is it rampant, no. But here’s the key, we’re not here to deliver furniture to people. We’re here to deliver the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
What strikes you the most about the people you help?
Jim: So many of the people we serve have such strong faith. Brief instance: I delivered furniture to a grandmother. Her daughter went into Framingham prison for dealing drugs. She had nothing, was sleeping on the floor. We brought her three twin beds, one for her, one for each of the children.
We got a call a couple months later (from the grandmother) for a bed. When we show up, there was only two beds. A neighbor was there, and she said, “Do you want to know what happened to the other bed?” I’m embarrassed by the question, we don’t ask that. She says, “No, no I’ll tell them. A week after you delivered to her, a young girl came out of MainSpring shelter with a newborn baby, she got an apartment upstairs and was sleeping on the floor. She (the grandmother) gave up her bed, and has been sleeping on the floor ever since.” What could I ever teach that grandmother about faith? I could only ever learn from her.
Sometime this year, My Brother’s Keeper will make its 100,000th delivery. What does that number mean to you?
Terry: It’s an honor to be able to witness that.
Jim: My gut reaction? Well, there’s the first 100,000. Let’s get started on the second.