Good Works Gang gets the job done for those needing a helping hand

POMPTON LAKES  Earlier this year, a homeowner reached out for help to spruce up the outside of her house in Passaic County — trimming trees, blowing fallen leaves, and pulling weeds. A recent widow, she was distraught over losing her husband suddenly and over dealing with a large house and financial problems.

Responding to the woman’s request, an eight-member crew of the Good Works Gang, a relatively new ministry at St. Mary Parish here, showed up at her door one day in July. As part of the ministry, members come periodically for a few hours as needed to perform one-time service projects at some­one’s house — while meeting new friends and lending a helping hand to those in need. So far, they have helped St. Mary’s parishioners and other local residents with light yard clean up and moving, as well as restoring benches in the parish memorial garden.

After being shut down for more than a year because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Good Works Gang started back up this summer. Established in 2018, the ministry currently has 20 parishioners, men and women in their 60s and 70s. They have varying degrees of skills in house maintenance, which is not a requirement to join, said Ron Rauschart, a St. Mary’s parishioner and coordinator of the outreach.

“We help out in the community by sharing our time and skills. We believe that we are doing God’s work by doing good deeds to help others: a principle of our Christian faith. Sometimes, we are helping people who are facing difficult situations in their lives at that moment, which will improve,” said Rauschart, a retired vice president in industrial sales, who now serves on a board in the industry. He also belongs to St. Mary’s funeral ministry. “The widow, who needed the yard cleanup, was extremely grateful and said we did a marvelous job,” he said.

Prior to any project being attempted, Rauschart visits the possible work site to assess the homeowner’s situation and needs. If the Good Works Gang decides to take on the project, the homeowner must complete paperwork that shields its volunteers and St. Mary’s from any liability for damage to the property. In turn, volunteers fill out forms to shield the parish from liability if they get hurt on the job. Rauschart receives names from the parish office or from Franciscan Father John Aherne, a St. Mary’s parochial vicar, who often fields requests, he said.

Rauschart sends out an email to Good Works Gang members to coordinate a date for the potential project and assemble a crew of usually six to eight volunteers. Crew members either bring equipment from home or use whatever the homeowner has in his or her possession. They include rakes, hedge clippers, shovels, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers. While members undertake these projects, “friendships do evolve” in the group, he said.

Early on, the group installed a new mailbox on a post at one house. One memorable project involved moving a woman’s belongings from her storage unit in Clifton to a new apartment in Pompton Lakes. It proved to be a challenge because the volunteers had to lift heavy objects in the unit to get to the possessions that she wanted, including chairs, dressers, and bedding. They packed up everything in a U-Haul truck, which St. Mary’s rented, and transported it to the apartment, said Edward Torasso, a crew member and a semi-retired technology consultant.

“That was a long day — and a lot of stuff!” said Torasso, who serves on St. Mary’s marriage preparation team with his wife, Susan. He is also an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. “As a homeowner, I’ve learned to do different things to save money. I believe in giving back — and, I have time on my hands. We all work well together in the group and some of us knew each other before,” he said.

The Good Works Gang started in 2018 to respond to the need of some parishioners for help with maintaining their houses or moving — and the requests kept coming. Some members of the ministry know each other already from attending 8 a.m. daily Mass at St. Mary’s, including Rauschart, Torasso, and George Dean of Ringwood, a retired high school English and writing teacher. He is involved in the parish’s funeral ministry and coordinates the parish’s English as a Learned Language program.

“The people we help are elated,” Dean said. “I enjoy working with my hands. I enjoy doing the lawn and working the garden at home — more my wife than me. The Good Works Gang likes to take care of some parts of people’s lives that they can’t take care of,” he said.

For the future, The Good Works Gang might invite other ministries at St. Mary’s to partner with them on projects or might ask these ministries if they need any “handy” help, said Rauschart.

[ To join the Good Works Gang or request its services, email Ron Rauschart at

[email protected] ]