Brother's Keeper
Brother's Keeper is the outreach ministry of our parish. We have been assisting the needy and marginalized of our parish and our community since the early 1970's.
We are located at 2 West Fort King Street, one block south of the downtown square. Click on DIRECTIONS to see how to find us if you are coming from Blessed Trinity.
Our office for emergency assistance is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 1:00 to 4:00. Click on EMERGENCY HELP to see what assistance we can offer. We can make special arrangements for parishioners. Our office phone number is 622-3846. You can also always call 211 - the County's emergency contact network for hard to handle questions or circumstances.
At the same location - the corner of Fort King and Magnolia - Brother's Keeper operates a THRIFT AND USED CLOTHING STORE AND A USED FURNITURE STORE. Come by and see our great deals and great prices. Our retail hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 to 4:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 2:00. The furniture store number is 732-7988 and the thrift store number is 622-5544.
Brother's Keeper also operates a Soup Kitchen. We serve a lunch meal from 12:00 to 1:00 every day of the year - including holidays, Christmas and Easter. Click on SOUP KITCHEN for directions to the Soup Kitchen and for opportunities to volunteer. The Soup Kitchen phone number is 629-1292. Call between 9:00 and 2:00.
Every first weekend of the month we collect food at the Church for our EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY. Look in the bulletin for the list of our most needed items. Pre-packaged bags can be purchased at the following Publix stores - Steeplechase, 40 East, Churchill Square, Paddock Park, and Quail Meadow. Buy the bag at Publix and leave it there - we will pick it up.
Brother's Keeper sponsors special events during the year. Click on SPECIAL EVENTS to receive more information about our Lenten Soup and Bread dinners, and our Thanksgiving and Christmas programs for the poor.
We gladly accept DONATIONS. Used clothing can be dropped off in the clothes box located at Blessed Trinity. Household items, clothing, and furniture can be dropped off in the rear of our store during retail hours. We also pick up good donated furniture and working appliances. Call 622-3846 to schedule a pick-up.
You can see by the wide variety of activities that we sponsor that there are many ways that you can help. For information on how and where to volunteer, click on VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. We are always in need of helpers on our truck.
Like all agencies that help the poor, we rely on your financial help. Go over and above your regular stewardship gift and use the "red envelope" marked Brother's Keeper once a quarter to help us continue our ministry. There are also two poor boxes located in the Church. Because of our retail sales we can say that in truth every dollar donated to Brother's Keeper is used to directly help the poor. Click on YEARLY STATISTICS to see a snap-shot of what we do for
the poor.
Every year we assist almost 1,000 families to keep their lights on for thirty days when they are in real danger of being cut-off. Some of the funding for these cases comes from the Ocala Electric Utility program called NEIGHBORS WHO CARE. With a small monthly amount donated through your OEU payment you can help us stretch our dollars. We really need your help in this area as those donations free up our dollars for other use. To sign up call Ocala Electric Customer Service Office at 352-629-8411 or by e-mail at OEU@ocalafl.org.
Are you looking for a way to stretch your food dollars and help your food budget? Brother's Keeper and Blessed Trinity are a site host for the SHARE program. By being a member of this program you can receive double the value of your groceries each month. Call Jeannie at 622-3846 to see how this program can work for you.
Brother's Keeper is actively involved with other community agencies and community leaders in looking for ways to help the poor help themselves. Click on FUTURE PLANS to see some of these linkages.
How you can help us the most - pray for us and the poor. And reflect on the story of the Good Samaritan, our patron, and remember that those most unlike us and most onerous to us are the ones we are called
to help.
"Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, naked or ill or in prison? When you did this for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it for me." (Matthew 25)
