By: Kenneth J. Souza, Anchor Staff
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — My Brother’s Keeper, a Catholic ministry based in Easton that delivers furniture free-of-charge to families in need, has expanded its outreach by opening a second facility in North Dartmouth to provide more direct services to Fall River and the greater South Coast area.
The ministry officially opened and commemorated the new site earlier this month with a blessing and open house at the 9,000-square-foot leased facility. Bishop George W. Coleman, bishop of the Fall River Diocese, blessed and dedicated the new Dartmouth location along with Father John Denning, CSC, president of Stonehill College.
According to Erich Miller, president of the My Brother’s Keeper apostolate, the inspiration for the ministry came from Christ’s Words in the Gospel of St. Matthew, specifically chapter five, verse 15.
“Christ talks about letting your light shine … and not putting your lamp under a basket but, rather, to put it on a stand,” Miller told The Anchor. “We first started talking about (opening a second location) back in 2009. We have watched how profoundly My Brother’s Keeper has been touching lives through our Easton facility — the lives of those we serve and the lives of volunteers who come to us as part of our work. And we thought if we stayed in Easton and never tried to expand into a new community, then it would be like putting our lamp under a basket.”
The Dartmouth branch of My Brother’s Keeper and its three-person staff will be managed by Josh Smith. Smith began volunteering at My Brother’s Keeper in 2000 while attending Stonehill College and he joined the ministry’s staff in 2007.
“I lived in Fall River for a time, so I know there’s a tremendous amount of need down here and I’m very excited to be able to extend our service area to help these struggling families,” Smith told The Anchor. “We are really going to be providing an unduplicated service and there aren’t many options for families with limited savings when they’re moving into a new apartment and can’t afford new furniture. We’re going to have a real opportunity to lift these families up in Christ’s name.”
My Brother’s Keeper picks up gently-used residential furniture — no drop-offs are allowed at either location — and then the items are cleaned and delivered to needy families in the area. All donations are tax-deductible and no donated items are ever sold. All furniture is delivered free-of-charge to local families in need.
The ministry’s mission is simple: “To bring the love and hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve.” Anyone living in the service area is eligible to receive help, regardless of religion.
“That makes us unique — the fact that we have no prerequisites for service,” Smith said. “When you have families that are doing well and then someone gets laid off, you may not qualify for certain guidelines for (public) assistance. With us, we help anyone with no questions asked. It gives us a chance to accomplish our mission, which is much more than just delivering furniture — it’s about bringing Christ’s hope and love to them. By helping people with no questions asked, it’s no longer just a transaction. It becomes a chance to really connect with the family.”
As a Christian ministry, a symbol of Christ accompanies all deliveries. As a gift at each furniture delivery, for example, My Brother’s Keeper offers a crucifix with the message, “We’re just the delivery people … this is the Man Who sent you the furniture.” Families receiving help are free to accept or decline the cross.
“As we go into people’s homes we try to serve with dignity and respect and we always serve in Christ’s name, giving a symbol of Christ at the end of every delivery,” Miller said. “We really try to draw people to God … at a time when they may be in the greatest need.”
At the start, the new facility will exclusively service Dartmouth and communities to the west, including Fall River and the East Bay of Rhode Island. In 2014, after a sufficient volunteer corps has been established, the charity will then extend services into New Bedford and other communities to the east.
“We certainly have plans to do more in the future, we just need a little time to get our feet on the ground first,” Miller said. “One of the core principles with this expansion is that we did not want to do anything that would harm the good work we’re doing in Easton … and we didn’t want to take on too much, too fast. We have a long history of serving families in Fall River at Christmas and we love where we are because we’re very close to routes 195 and 24.”
The new location is sectioned off into departments — not unlike a retail store — with areas designated for the different types of furniture, household items, electronics and appliances. There’s also space set aside for furniture repair, loading docks, offices, rest rooms and a prayer room.
The facility is located on five acres in Dartmouth, but the charity does not release its address to the public in order to discourage anonymous furniture drop-offs.
My Brother’s Keeper in Dartmouth currently needs help in two ways: with volunteers and donations of residential furniture.
Volunteers are needed to assist with furniture pickups and deliveries; to help clean furniture and appliances; to do carpentry and light furniture repair work; to test electrical items; to sort linens and household items; to cut and sew fabric; to assemble box springs; and to do building maintenance.
Furniture items needed include couches, loveseats and chairs; coffee tables, end tables and lamps; twin-, full- and queen-sized mattresses and box springs; dressers and night stands; kitchen tables and chairs; refrigerators and microwaves.
“We have people of all ages and all backgrounds helping us,” Smith said. “You don’t necessarily have to be able to move a refrigerator to a second floor — we have a lot of ways people can help. We can always use people with different skills and talents.”
The Dartmouth location will rely heavily on volunteers, similar to the charity’s Easton facility, which hosts about 3,000 volunteers each year, including several hundred students.
“I first got involved with My Brother’s Keeper 12 years ago as a freshman,” Smith added. “Now I’m on the other side and I’ll be able to provide the same learning opportunities to students who will be coming to serve with us.”
Noting that he plans to reach out to area middle schools, high schools and colleges for assistance, Smith said volunteering for My Brother’s Keeper can be a “real eye-opening experience” for students.
“It really can have a tremendous impact on their lives and give them a chance to live out their faith,” he said. “And they can see first-hand the fruit of their efforts … which is what I think makes this place special. It’s not just that they’re volunteering, but they also get to meet the families they serve. It can be very powerful to hear the stories of what they’re going through.”
“My Brother’s Keeper provides the opportunity to serve the poor to hundreds of students from some 60 high schools and numerous colleges — about 150 students each year from Stonehill College alone,” said co-founder Jim Orcutt. “In serving the poor, if we are able to touch the heart of only one young man or woman … Christ may well yet be able to change the world.”
The opening of the Dartmouth facility is just the second of three milestones for the organization this year.
My Brother’s Keeper previously celebrated its 25th anniversary last March. Co-founders Jim and Terry Orcutt began the ministry’s work in the cellar of their Taunton home on Mar. 21, 1988 before moving to its present base of operations on property adjacent to Stonehill College and Holy Cross Family Ministries in Easton.
“Twenty-five years ago, My Brother’s Keeper began spreading the Good News of God’s love and hope to the people of Taunton and Brockton,” said co-founder Terry Orcutt. “Over these many years our mission has widened to some 34 towns and cities. With the opening of the Dartmouth facility we now expand our efforts to spread Christ’s love and hope to 50 communities in the Diocese of Fall River and the Archdiocese of Boston.”
By December, the charity anticipates making its 100,000th delivery to a family in need.
“It’s really been a big year for us,” Miller said. “Based on our history of deliveries, we know in the days leading up to Christmas that we will be making our 100,000th delivery.”
With a new second location up and running and nearly 100,000 deliveries under its belt, it begs the question of whether further sites are on the horizon for My Brother’s Keeper.
“I would never rule anything out when God is in charge,” Miller said. “All things are possible with God.”