Mobile ministries helping humanity

by Rona Trachtenberg

On a cool Saturday morning in October, 35 people experiencing homelessness lined up to receive a free sandwich, a warm beverage, and winter clothing at the food truck owned by Mobile Ministries and located at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in New Bedford.

Homelessness can strike anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Kerry, a 55 year old woman, shared her sad story. “In 2014, when the stock market crashed and we couldn’t pay off our mortgage, the bank repossessed my family’s third-generation Farmhouse Antiques business, in Cape Cod. Nine years later, I find myself homeless on the streets of New Bedford. I have been sleeping on people’s couches, motels, anywhere for the past 12 months. It means everything to me knowing that I can get one meal every day, from these kind people. It is the only way I can survive.” Jim was one of the last recipients to reach the food truck before it packed up for the day. He explained that he had just lost his home due to the 8th Street fire that displaced him and nine other tenants. He was so relieved to be able to get a free meal and some clothing, as he lost everything last night. “I don’t know what I would have done if Mobile Ministries hadn’t come along today.”

“There but for the Grace of God,” explained George Bailey, who is a Senior Lay Leader at St. Paul’s, and who helped organize this important local mission.

"I believe God has blessed this ministry in so many ways, particularly with providing what I consider some of the most loving and caring individuals in the Greater New Bedford/Fall River area by volunteering to help those who are most truly in need."

“In 1998, Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) started in Texas as a ministry of St. John Neumann and in 2000, they became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,” Bailey explained. “They utilized a catering truck to provide food, clothing, and dignity to its brothers and sisters in need. This program expanded into Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Nashville, and Providence.

“In 2009, our Pastor Ken went with a few of us to Rhode Island, where we learned about MLF,” Bailey said. “We decided to bring it to our needy residents in the South Coast. In August 2010, the New Bedford food truck was planted at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and for six years we served 50,000+ meals per year.”

Bailey continued, “Regretfully, in 2016, MLF in Texas recalled its trucks and changed its mission. At that point, we bought out the food truck, registered as our own non-profit 501(c)(3), changed our program’s name to Mobile Ministries, and continued assisting New Bedford’s homeless. In 2021, we expanded into Fall River, where we found the need to be equally great. Now, we are blessed to have volunteers from 12 different churches and one synagogue that supervise eight truck runs, six days a week.”

My brother’s keeper

Renee Pothier, one of the Team Leaders, explained the five-station distribution process that takes place from 11 a.m. to noon. “First, the recipient gets a choice of a PB&J, ham, or baloney sandwich. Oftentimes, they are shy or embarrassed and just say, ‘Give me whichever.’ We encourage them to make their own decision, which implies, ‘Your opinion is valuable.’ Then, they get fruit, chips, bottled water. Next, they receive a slice of pizza, often donated by Dominos. The next station consists of hot dogs, coffee, hot chocolate. Then there are toiletries, and the final station is clothing.”

This gets repeated six days a week from 5 to 6 p.m.: twice in North New Bedford (at the PAACA building), twice in the South (at Reverence Church), and twice in the Central region (619 Purchase Street). On Saturdays, the truck goes out in the morning to Central New Bedford and in the afternoon to Fall River (at its Salvation Army).

Pothier first volunteered for Mobile Ministries seven years ago, with her Confirmation class from St. Anthony’s & St. Rita’s Parish in Mattapoisett. “The students were accruing community service hours. Once their obligations were met, several teens just continued volunteering, as did I, because our hearts were touched by this beautiful mission. It is a calling. No one wants to let these needy people down. We are their lifeline. They are so appreciative of us that none of the volunteers wants to miss showing up to help. I now have a dedicated crew of helpers who look forward to the second Saturday of each month when it is our turn with the food truck.”

Pothier continued, “In addition to delivery volunteers, there are a plethora of people behind the scenes preparing the sandwiches, boiling the eggs, washing the grapes, and arranging the clothes. A crew puts all the food together each day and organizes the non-perishable items. These unsung heroes deserve recognition.”

Pothier added, “George [Bailey] is a saint. He transitioned the entire program on his own. On some occasions, he singlehandedly made deliveries in a blizzard or two. It is easy to make this sacrifice because just think how the homeless feel living on the street everyday in that weather. In the winter, we need more donations of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and especially shoes and boots to keep the homeless people’s feet dry when it snows.”

Least, last, lost community

Bailey humbly considers himself just the Coordinator. He gets his spiritual reward, “by knowing I’m doing what I believe God has called me to do. We give the hopeless, helpless, and homeless a hand up and not just a handout. Over the years, we have been gratified to see a few individuals get back on their feet and then ‘give back’ by joining in the ministry of helping others. But there are still approximately 150 people living on our local streets and this number has been increasing in recent months.”

When asked to explain this phenomenon, Bailey answered, “Each individual has their own story, with issues ranging from financial, physical, or mental health challenges to alcohol, gambling, and substance abuse. But, speaking in general terms, I believe that one of the most underlying reasons is the break down of the basic family unit. Once an individual has burned their bridges with all their family and friends or has just lost contact with them by moving away, or any other trial in life, oftentimes they end up on the street.”

Bailey added, “I believe God has blessed this ministry in so many ways, particularly with providing what I consider some of the most loving and caring individuals in the Greater New Bedford/Fall River area by volunteering to help those who are most truly in need.”

Three ways to give thanks in November

First, you can visit the gofundme. com website, search for Mobile Ministries’ Winter Survival Fund 2022-2023. Every dollar goes directly to the Mobile Ministry and there is no processing fee. You can also snail mail a financial donation to: Go Fund Me at P.O. Box 70724, Faunce Corner Road, N. Dartmouth, MA 02747.

Second, you can volunteer for the Make Ready Team, which preps the food truck or the Delivery Team, which distributes the food, drinks, and in-kind goods that Mobile Ministries provides to those in need. They can also utilize people to assist with organizing, sorting, and prepping the donated clothes and canned goods.

Third, you can directly donate gently used and clean clothing or canned goods to St. Paul’s Methodist Church at 884 Kempton Street, on the corner of Rockdale Ave in New Bedford. “God saves the world and we help Him to help others,” says Bailey. “We would be honored if you could assist us in any part of this mission, at any time of the year. We can be reached at (508) 991-9218 or you can visit mobile-ministries.org.”