On July 31, 2013, Jim Whalen (Lakeville), Eben Orcutt (Taunton), Steve and David Joanis (Franklin) and I had the privilege to make the very first delivery from the new Dartmouth facility. We helped a 50-year old woman named Cheryl in Fall River.

After driving from Easton once a week this past year to serve families on the South Coast, we couldn’t believe how fast we got to her apartment: just 5 minutes from the new location!

Cheryl had been in her home for a month after leaving an area homeless shelter. She was so happy to see us! She had no bed and needed knee surgery. Sleeping on a couch night after night had gotten old quickly— she was looking forward to a goodnight’s sleep.

As we brought in her new bed and all the other furniture, we got to know Cheryl. She proudly told us about her son who had earned a full scholarship to UMass. He’ll be starting in the fall. As the proud mother of two kids myself, I could relate to her motherly pride in a special way. Aren’t we really all the same in the end?

When the furniture was all in, I gave Cheryl our final gift, the crucifix. I was a little nervous because I’d only done it twice before but I delivered our message the best I could: “We’re just the delivery people. This is the man who sent you the furniture.”

Cheryl lowered her head and looked intently at the crucifix. After a long pause, she whispered, “Wow!” and gave us a big smile. “What’s your address?” she asked. “When I’m back on my feet after surgery, I want to send you a donation.”

As we drove away, I smiled too: it felt special to be a part of My Brother’s Keeper history— the 1st delivery from Dartmouth.