Brotherhood In Action Of Bethel

Brotherhood In Action of Bethel

Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc. is a local, all volunteer, federally recognized non-profit organization. Since 1980 we have been providing food, rent and utilities assistance, as well as other forms of financial assistance, to those in need who reside in the town of Bethel, Connecticut.

We collect and purchase food to be distributed to Bethel individuals and families in need at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Throughout the year, we respond to requests for help as needed. We provide food on a continual basis to the St. Thomas Food Pantry, which also serves the people of Bethel.

We work closely with the Social Services Department of the Town of Bethel; all requests for assistance come through this department. If you are a resident of Bethel and need help, you must contact Bethel Social Services directly (see the sidebar) to request assistance.

Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc does not receive or seek public or taxpayer funds. We rely solely on the generosity of individuals, service organizations and commercial enterprises.

Volunteer

Every year, in advance of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc, runs a major food collection and distribution drive. For each drive we will spend an evening sorting the donated food, an evening packing, and a morning delivering. On average we reach between 80 and 110 families - each receiving 3 large boxes of food.

We need LOTS of help to get this work done! Everyone in the community is invited to lend a hand. It's not necessary to sign up or register, just check back here for the dates and show up at our location.

We strongly encourage young adults to become involved. We will validate service sheets for those earning community service hours.

Note: In the interest of safety, we do ask that all children age 12 and under be directly accompanied by an adult at all times.

Contribute

Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc. receives non-perishable food items from the National Association of Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Drive and our own collections in advance of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. But we also purchase food via our membership in the Connecticut Food Bank, and we purchase fresh vegetables, eggs, and other perishable food for each of our deliveries. In addition, from time to time we provide one-time assistance with rent, heating bills, etc.

This means that we are dependent on cash donations in order to fulfill our mission. Brotherhood In Action, Inc. is a federally recognized 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, meaning that donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.

Individuals interested in contributing to Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc. may do so by Donating Here or by sending gifts to the organization at
Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc.
P.O. Box 582
Bethel , CT 06801

A written acknowledgement is sent promptly to all donors.

Special Thanks

Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc., is 100% run by volunteers and 100% supported by donations (both food and monetary). There are no paid staff and we do not receive government subsidies. We could not carry out our mission without the manpower and donations from, quite literally, hundreds of Bethel residents and businesses. There are a few local organizations that have gone "beyond the call" in supporting us over the years and are deserving of special recognition.

Bethel United Methodist Church
The Bethel United Methodist Church provides us our facility rent-free. Without the space provided by the Church, we would almost certainly not be able to carry on our operations.

Blue Jay Orchards
Blue Jay Orchards routinely donates apples, pies, cider donuts and more for every delivery cycle. They have even let us use their freezers on occasion when we get large shipments of turkeys from the CT Food Bank.

Caraluzzi's
Caraluzzi's Bethel Food Market deeply discounts all the fresh food items that we purchase (eggs, bread, juice, milk, turkeys, etc). Their Bethel store is one of our primary donation collection hubs, and they drop off coffee and treats for the volunteers when we are sorting and packing.

Village Market
Village market discounts and delivers the fresh produce that we include in our deliveries.

Danbury Square Box Company
Danbury Square Box gives us a discount on the boxes that we use for our deliveries.

National Association of Letter Carriers Every year during their Stamp Out Hunger Campaign, your postal carriers collect a substantial amount of food and turn it over to us!

About Us

BIA is a community organization that provides food and other assistance to residents of Bethel, CT who are in need.

Brotherhood in Action came about as a common interest of three religious fraternal organizations: B’nai Brith, Freemasons and Knights of Columbus. It originated because of the awareness that people had common needs regardless of their backgrounds, and help was provided in similar fashion regardless of background. Members of each of the organizations realized they could leverage their support by banding together while still remaining true to the principles of their individual groups. They also found that they could meet and work with neighbors they might not meet in each specific organization.

Over a 25+ year span in Bethel, the common interest has matured to a separate non-profit organization known as Brotherhood In Action of Bethel, Inc. This non-profit corporation is federally recognized as a tax-exempt organization. Its governing board is made up of members of Eureka Lodge, Freemasons, and Pavia Council, Knights of Columbus. We welcome everyone in the Bethel community to work with us, and serve all who are in need.

Brotherhood In Action receives community wide support in the form of food and other household items, toys and clothes, and monetary gifts. It organizes food collections and deliveries to individuals and families in need in Bethel at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

Throughout the year, BIA also provides food and other assistance to families weekly when the need arises. In other communities, this story might be considered unusual, or a one of a kind event. Not so, in Bethel. It is an example of what goes on continually; and what makes Bethel the desirable community it is.