MORRISTOWN What are the most in-demand items available at the tables manned by John Corr Family Resources volunteers at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish here? The hurried rush of needy clients toward two tables at its 10 a.m. opening on a recent Friday morning makes plain the answer: diapers, baby wipes and all kinds of soap, including those for the bath, babies, clothing, counters and dishes.
Located in the parish center below St. Margaret Church, the giving tables have become so popular over its almost two years in operation that they now serve from 70 to 100 people — mostly Hispanic migrants — on Friday mornings, when it is open. Many folding tables and plastic bins overflow with donated items for these needy clients — many of them undocumented — to peruse and take, such as toys, household and baby products and clothing for babies, children and adults. John Corr Family Resources, a project of the Religious Teachers Filippini, established this ministry, which is staffed by religious sisters from the nearby Villa Walsh motherhouse and lay volunteers, who consider the clients to be family.
“I got my little girls shoes, so they can go to church all prettied up,” said Mary, a married mother of three small girls from Honduras, who also shopped on April 1 for baby wipes, diapers and soap — several of the items that the staff buys with monetary donations it receives. “My husband works, but I don’t work because I’m raising three small children. It [shopping here] helps us get things that we can’t afford. It’s a blessing from God,” she said through a Spanish translator.
That morning, clients sifted through clothes in bins and on tables with help from the volunteers — many fluent in Spanish — who later checked them out by placing their items in plastic shopping bags. The ministry shares the large gathering space with other local social service agencies set up there temporarily on Fridays, such as a food bank, an insurance program and the Women Infant and Children (WIC) benefits program.
“It’s very touching. Some clients donate the baby and children’s clothes back to the store, after their kids have outgrown them,” said Sister Mary Beth Lloyd, who coordinates the work, as she helped clients, who hail from countries, including Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Egypt, Palestine and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, a few volunteers staffed tables that offered other services, such as signing up clients to become parishioners of St. Margaret’s. They have helped bring clients back to the Church, assisted with the baptisms of their babies and helped plan the funeral of a client’s brother — thanks to Father Hernan Arias, St. Margaret’s pastor, who has been supportive of the ministry. Other volunteers took requests for furniture and appliances. When these items become available, staffers deliver them to clients’ homes, said Sister Mary Beth.
“When I make deliveries, I notice that the clients’ families usually live many to a room or apartment. Often, they are so poor that they sleep on garbage bags and have no mattresses in the cribs. Yet their places are clean and organized,” Sister Mary Beth said. “They are so grateful to receive these appliances and furniture.”
Once again, John Corr Family Resources plans to expand its offerings by holding its third annual Literacy Fair on Sunday, May 15, from 1 to 3 p.m., in St. Margaret’s parish center. It will feature the sale of children’s books, as well as free eye exams, and appearances by representatives from community, municipal and civic organizations, Sister Mary Beth said.
In a short time, the clients have become family to the volunteers. On April 1, a woman descended the steps of the store with a double stroller — which the ministry provided — to show off her 11-day-old twins, a boy and a girl. Clients and volunteers crowded around the stroller to admire them. Staffers have gotten to know not only their clients, spouses and children, but also their struggles. Sometimes, they dispense advice, Sister Mary Beth said.
“It’s very humbling that this [volunteering] is something I can do. I believe that, if there is a need, you should do what you can,” said Angela Calabria of St. Christopher Parish, Parsippany, who volunteers with her sister, brother-in-law and granddaughter.
During the week, volunteers collect items donated, because of word of mouth. Many local Catholic parishes and schools and Girl Scout troops have organized drives for items, along with donations by individuals. This month, the students of Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown, will throw a baby shower for some of the mothers, Sister Mary Beth said.
“Sister Mary Beth prays for something and most of the time, we get it,” said volunteer Teresa Prendergast, an Oblate of St. Benedict from Delbarton, Morristown, who noted that items — requested or not — sometimes “show up” at the doorsteps of the motherhouse or staffers’ residences. Then, volunteers sort the items for distribution.
Other benefactors to the ministry include a Realtor friend of Sister Mary Beth’s, who asks colleagues to look out for furniture being discarded from houses. With the help of Peter Keller and his family, John Corr Family Resources will hold its annual fundraising dinner on Wednesday, June 1, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Madison Hotel, Sister Mary Beth said.
The Filippinis’ ministry takes its name from one of Sister Mary Beth’s friends, Msgr. John Corr, pastor emeritus of Christ the King Parish, New Vernon, who died in 2013. The John Corr Resources previously set up similar ministries in Newark. Later, when Bishop Serratelli learned about the Filippinis’ operations in the Newark Archdiocese, he asked them to establish an outreach at St. Margaret’s.
By 11:15 a.m. on April 1, Prendergast helps break down tables and pack up bins to close up for another Friday. She tells The Beacon that she does not volunteer to feel “like a saint.”
“Instead, I love seeing the babies and young children. They light up,” Prendergast said. “The clients are very warm. They are so grateful. We care about them, worry about them and want to get what they need,” she said.
To visit, donate items, make a monetary donation or attend the May 15 book fair or the June 1 fundraising dinner. call Sister Mary Beth Lloyd at (916) 202-8382.