The seed for Mission of Deeds was planted when our founder, Tony Triglione, learned that providing beds, furniture, and household goods was an underserved area of human services. Inspired by My Brother’s Keeper, then in Brockton, Tony began plans for a furniture charity north of Boston.

In 1993 Tony bought Mission of Deeds a former Ryder box truck and gave the new charity space in a building that housed one of his stores. A few volunteers joined, furniture inventory was accumulated and social service organizations began to take note.

The first client was a woman in a local town who kept her children’s clothes in trash bags due to lack of money. Mission of Deeds gave her two bureaus and client service had begun. The services to this family, and every client, has always been free of charge.

In the many years since we estimate that we have furnished the apartments of about 15,000 families in need. The clients include the formerly homeless, victims of domestic violence, elders without support, refugees, displaced veterans, and the disabled.

This has happened solely because of an outpouring of support from the community – donors of furniture and funds, hundreds of dedicated volunteers, and a large and growing network of helping organizations of all kinds that refer clients to us. We are continually amazed, humbled, and thankful for all the support.

As we have grown, some things have changed. We have a small, mostly part-time staff. We are on our fourth truck, this one brand new at purchase, the cost of which was donated by a volunteer who wishes to remain anonymous. Our facility has been renovated and expanded to include the entire ground floor of the building in which we began. We have added new programs, including winter coats, food gift cards, and children’s books. The beds program has grown from twin beds to beds of several sizes, as well as cribs.

Yet the most important things are the same. Mission of Deeds is built on the timeless idea of neighbors helping neighbors. We strive to treat each person with whom we come into contact – clients, caseworkers, donors, and volunteers – with respect, compassion, and a friendly smile, and to manage our organization with transparency, minimal red tape and respect for a dollar.

Keeping these principles in view, Mission of Deeds will continue to be a vibrant part of our communities for decades to come.