MY BROTHER S KEEPER January 2008 A Volunteer Christian Ministry Our Mission To Bring the Love and Hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve. ~ ~ ~ ~ We deliver furniture, household items and food free of charge to those who seek assistance. There are no prerequisites for service. We re just the delivery people, this is the person who sent you the furniture. After a wonderful Christmas season, the community of My Brother s Keeper has much to be grateful for. We are grateful.more than 500 people attended our Annual Gratitude Mass the night after Thanksgiving, our biggest crowd ever. We are grateful for one more thing for each of you who gave so much of yourselves for Christ at My Brother s Keeper this Christmas. Know that you and your families will be in our daily prayers for a happy, healthy, blessed 2008. We are grateful more than 1,300 different volunteers came to My Brother s Keeper to participate in our Christmas effort. 550 volunteered with us for the very first time! We are grateful My Brother s Keeper is such a loving, nurturing Christian community. Numerous parents told us their children have grown much closer to Christ as a result of their service at My Brother s Keeper. We are most grateful God gave us the privilege to serve more people and more families this Christmas than ever before. My Brother s Keeper delivered food and gifts to 1,836 families 4,812 children and 2,412 adults who are residents of 59 towns and communities ranging from the North Shore down to Fall River and the Cape. (see right) All this was accomplished during a December which brought us 27 inches of snow, just 1 inch shy of Boston s snowfall record for the month! As interesting and impressive as these numbers are, in the end only one thing matters: that we accomplished our mission To bring the Love and Hope of Jesus Christ to those we serve. The following thank note assures us we did To the members of My Brother s Keeper: You helped me and my family last year when I was in terrible need. Many lives were touched because of this fact. I asked for help again this year and received another reason to have faith that my Father would never dream of forsaking me. Thank you again. Diane, Brockton Volunteer numbers were tremendous even during the week... a group of 50 posed on a Wednesday afternoon when local schools had a half day. TOWNS SERVED CHRISTMAS 2007 Abington Attleboro Avon Berkley Boston Braintree Bridgewater Brockton Brookline Cambridge Canton Charlestown Chelsea Dedham Dorchester East Boston East Bridgewater East Falmouth East Taunton East Wareham Easton Everett Fall River Foxboro Franklin Hanson Holbrook Hyde Park Jamaica Plain Kingston Lakeville Mansfield Marshfield Mattapan Medford Middleboro Milton New Bedford Norton Norwood Onset Pembroke Plainville Quincy Randolph Raynham Rockland Roslindale Roxbury Scituate Sheldonville South Boston Stoughton Taunton Wareham West Bridgewater West Roxbury Weymouth Whitman
See the Blessings of Our Community!!! The Christ Crew seniors from Cardinal Spellman High School (front) drop off Thanksgiving baskets to Erich Miller and Jim Orcutt (back). Maureen Toscano and kids (Randolph) have fun wrapping gifts for families in need. It s true, kids make the best elves! Who knows better what other kids want for Christmas? Jim Orcutt leads prayer before lunch with grandson Nathan along for the ride. On Saturday Dec. 9th, more than 100 volunteers were present for grace. Students from Weymouth High assembled 150 bicycles and big wheels in support of our Christmas program. The bikes are purchased from Wal-Mart each year by a most generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous. Each person called out their hometown: 48 different towns and 4 states were represented. Andrew and Meghan Fonts (Bristol, RI) were just two of the 550 volunteers who came to My Brother s Keeper this Christmas for the very first-time. ReggieWard (Norwood) and her grandson work carefully for Christ knowing the measure of My Brother s Keeper s success is not how many families we serve it s how well we serve each one of them!
It s Been A Really Tough Year By Josh Smith Christmas can be a stressful season for most of us, but this anxiety is only magnified for those living paycheck to paycheck, especially for the considerable number of families who have lost their homes. At this point, the sub-prime mortgage crisis in our country is well-known. Over the past year there s been a sharp increase in home foreclosures for high-risk borrowers who accepted high interest rate mortgages from predatory lenders. In Massachusetts, the number of houses that have been foreclosed has tripled in the past year, a startling statistic. People may debate the levels of fault among borrowers and lenders, but things really come into perspective after meeting a family who has been caught up in this crisis. Marlene is one of these people. Before we even parked our vehicle, Marlene had the front door open to greet us. The volunteers and I gathered up four big bags of Christmas gifts for Marlene, her husband, and three children, and followed her into the basement of the home. Downstairs we found sofas covered with sleeping bags but nothing else. We lost our home, Marlene offered quickly. We got caught up in the whole mortgage mess. A lot of good people did. It s been a really tough year. While they were trying to get back on their feet, Marlene s sister had taken them into her home. But there wasn t enough room for the whole family so the kids were staying with their grandmother. I miss them so much, Marlene said, starting to tear up. It s little wonder that Marlene was really looking forward to getting the whole family together for Christmas, especially now that she would be able to provide presents for her children. When I got through on the phone on the second day, I was, like in shock. The lady was asking me what the kids wanted, what size they were. But I didn t care. Anything, I said! Of course, Marlene was speaking of the true spirit of Christmas. Even if it was just for a moment, she was able to set aside the stress of providing for her kids and just appreciate the ability to give them something that demonstrated her love for them. It was a beautiful thing to witness.
God Lifts a Burden By Erich Miller My children Matthew, Clare, and I had the privilege of making the very last Christmas deliveries for 2007. What a special experience it was! My kids are quite young only 8 and 5 but I pray they ll remember these three special deliveries for the rest of their lives About 4 PM Christmas Eve, we arrived at the home of Thelma, a grandmother who took in two grandkids because they had no place else to go. When she opened the door, the first thing we saw was her bed just three or four feet from the entrance. Her place was so small, she didn t even have a living room. Thelma was thrilled but also a bit surprised to see us. I ve never called My Brother s Keeper before, she explained. To tell you the truth, I didn t think you d really come because you took my call so late on December 23rd. My Brother s Keeper served 1,836 families this Christmas Thelma was #1835. Our next stop was to Laura who was dressed in medical scrubs and lived in a nice but simple home near Brockton Hospital. Her husband had passed away two years ago and even though she works, things have been very hard since then. I ve never received help from a charity before; in fact, it never even occurred to me to ask until a friend suggested I call. Accepting help from strangers can be very awkward but I could see Matthew and Clare s presence really put Laura at ease. God had my children there for a reason! I was delighted to watch them receive their first hugs and kisses as volunteers for My Brother s Keeper. Our last delivery was to Katherine. I was only one step in the door when she gave me the strongest hug I ve ever received, as if I d just saved her life. Katherine broke down into tears and had to leave the room. Her husband John led her back in and both shared their medical problems which have kept them out of work for months. Katherine has chronic, severe back pain which requires surgery. John had a steel plate inserted in his wrist because he d been robbed and beaten up with a baseball bat. They couldn t say thank you enough without My Brother s Keeper, our family would have nothing for Christmas. I regularly tell new volunteers it can be hard to understand the mission of My Brother s Keeper because the love and hope of Christ is intangible you can t pick it up like a couch, a box of food, or a bag of gifts. But at each of these deliveries, as clearly as I could see the black plastic bags filled with presents, I could also see our mission being accomplished. I watched God lift a heavy burden off the shoulders of Thelma, Laura, Katherine and John parents and grandparents who love their children so much. And that s why we, as a community, work so hard each December so struggling families, freed from stress and anxiety, can celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. Our Efforts to Keep Christ in Christmas... Every family served by My Brother s Keeper receives their personally-selected gifts, a ham or a turkey, and a $40 gift certificate to Shaw s Supermarket. In an effort to keep Christ in Christmas, each gift is labeled with a Happy Birthday Jesus sticker as shown to the left. The flyer on the right accompanies each Shaw s gift certificate. Dear Friend, Enclosed with this letter is a gift certificate to a local supermarket. We hope it will help provide for your needs. My Brother s Keeper thanks you for the privilege of being of service to your family at this special time of year which celebrates the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We are simply the delivery people. Please know the gifts and food provided by My Brother s Keeper is a gift from Jesus Christ. May God bless you and keep you and your family safely in His care.
Words of Gratitude from Those We Served for Christ To Everyone who made my Family s Christmas possible, I just wanted to say thank you for your help & caring. It s good to know there are people still out there who remember the real meaning of Christmas. Once again, thank you all. Thank you Brother s Keeper Sara, Fall River We are very grateful for what you guys are doing for me and my kids. Without you, we wouldn t have any Christmas. Thank God you guys exist. God bless you and the whole crew of My Brother s Keeper. Jacquelyn & the kids, Quincy Thank God for angels like you my kids had a smile on their faces on Christmas day. Thank you. God bless Brother s Keeper. Paul and kids, Weymouth I know you don t need presents but we always need a blessing from God and that is what I give you from my family to your family. God bless you and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To God I said, Let the Lord continue giving all of you the strength you need to keep helping families in need like mine and others. I wish for all of you love, peace, happiness, and health for many, many years more. God bless. Wendy, Dorchester To All who made Christmas bright for me this year. God bless you and keep all of you safe and a happy this year and many more. This world needs more people like you. Cindy, Rockland My Brother s Keeper: This is the 2nd time you ve helped me. I am a single mom and when I came from Puerto Rico, you gave me all the furniture I needed. Today I m done with my associates degree and am working on my BA. Thank you so much To My Brother s Keeper, Melissa, Brockton May God bless you 100-fold as you have been a blessing to me and my family. Darlene, Milton My daughter and I are so grateful to all who have helped us when I lost my job. At this holiday time, it s a comfort to know there are people like all of you willing to do what you can to bring happiness to so many people. May you all have a healthy, happy, and safe holiday. God bless. My Brother s Keeper, Maureen, Quincy Thank you for your generous donation to help me and my son have a Merry Christmas. I hope one day I can help people the way you help us. God bless you. Maria, Taunton I hope and pray every one will be in good health and spirits for the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas in the year 2008. I want to thank every one at My Brother s Keeper for putting food on my table this Christmas for me and my family and friends. I am very grateful that there are still good and kind people like all of you. You are always in my prayers. I always thank God for answering my prayers. Yvonne, Brockton
MY BROTHER S KEEPER P.O. Box 338, Easton, MA 02356-0338 www.mybrotherskeeper.org Officers James H. Orcutt, Sr., President Theresa Orcutt, Secretary John C. Danehy, C.P.A., Treasurer Executive Director Erich E. Miller Board of Directors Deacon Daniel F. Sullivan, Chairman Rev. John F. Denning, C.S.C. Jacques B. Dunn Mary McDonough Lombardi Virginia E. Motta Luzann Noonan James H. Orcutt, Jr. Michael G. Sites Brendan M. Sullivan Rev. Richard H. Sullivan, C.S.C. MY BROTHER S KEEPER P.O. Box 338, Easton, MA 02356-0338 Furniture Assistance... 508-238-4416 Donations / Business 508-238-7512 Fax 508-238-3613 (501 (c) (3) tax-exempt) www.mybrotherskeeper.org Brian P. Concannon, Chairman President, Patient Division Haemonetics Robert B. Barry, President Bostonian Cleaning & Restoration, Inc. Nancy J. Buckley, Audit Supervisor Commonwealth of Massachusetts Lori A. Grant My Brother s Keeper Volunteer Rev. William R. McCarthy Father Bill s Place Joyce M. Donadio, Co-Chair Senior Vice President Putnam Investments Development Board Thomas P. McDonald, President Thomas P. McDonald Insurance Agency, Inc. CenturyPlus Club Peter S. Donadio, Co-Chair Chartered Financial Consultant Business Planning Associates Timothy J. McMullen, President Prospect Hill Company Leo J. Morrissey, ChFC Retirement Asset Planning Systems My Brother s Keeper Prayer Lord... When I have food, Help me to remember the hungry. When I lie in my bed, Help me to remember those who sleep on the floor. When I have a warm home, Help me to remember the homeless. When I have work, Help me to remember those without jobs. When I experience the joy of giving to my children, Help me to remember the agony of those who must watch their children go without. By remembering, Help me to destroy my indifference and arouse my compassion. Make me concerned enough to act in your name, to help those who cry out to you for that which I so often take for granted.