ORLANDO, Fla. – You may recognize this week’s Getting Results Award winners as Angel Tree sponsors and a News 6 advertiser.
But we found the company that’s usually helping people replace their roof spends a lot of their time helping those without one.
Every week, without fail, employees from BFARR Contractors have been volunteering with the Salvation Army’s Brian Smith Urban Outreach project.
Ken Chapman, area captain for the Salvation Army, wanted to recognize their contributions.
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Every Tuesday morning for the last two years, BFARR Contracting employees show up at the Salvation Army’s men’s shelter and get to work. On this day, Brian Walton, Blake Bernstein and Matt Mink formed an impromptu assembly line as they bagged sandwiches, water, fruit juice and apple sauce.
“It’s not rocket science,” Walton said as he tossed a bottle of water into a plastic bag and tied the end. “We’ve been at it for a little while now. The goal today is 200 bags.”
The bags of food, along with hygiene kits and blankets, will be passed out at homeless camps throughout the Parramore district in Orlando. With overnight lows in the 50s, Walton expects the blankets and sleeping bags to go fast.
“The goal today is to keep everybody warm,” Walton said. “For us Floridians, that’s parka weather,” he said with a laugh.
But the seriousness of the homeless condition doesn’t go unnoticed.
“I knew zero point zero about this area before I started doing this,” Walton said. “There’s a lot of people out there (...) we all need help and sometimes it’s that little bit that gets us through the day or gives us hope to carry on to the next day.”
Tom Morris, a volunteer himself, organizes the Tuesday morning missions.
“The BFARR volunteers have been the best by far,” Morris said. “They are always here. We couldn’t do it without them.”
By 9:30 a.m., the group has everything loaded into a commuter van and they set out on a tour through the city.
They typically make five or six stops where they know groups of people will be gathered.
“We go to people that are what we call ‘hardcore homeless,’” Chapman explained. “Most of them will not come to us so we reach out to them. We’ll hopefully connect them with services where they can improve their life, get an ID, get their education, get a job and get permanently housed. That’s our goal.”
The outreach program is named after a success story. Brian Smith graduated from the Salvation Army’s rehabilitation program and turned his life around. Smith eventually worked for the Salvation Army Orlando Command for 12 years.
Morris, behind the wheel, guides the van through quiet neighborhoods, finally pulling up to a curb just feet away from a makeshift tent.
Ronald Hines has been sleeping under a tarp tied to the air conditioning unit of a small church.
“They’re beautiful,” Hines said, as he waited for a hot coffee and a hygiene kit. “We appreciate everything they do for us. We don’t have a lot of support but we have support from them.”
Morris says each week presents a new challenge to locate those who need the items.
“You’ll see, we know all their names. They’re the same people we see each week but they don’t have anywhere to stay so they’ll move around and sometimes we have to find them,” he said.
At each stop, the BFARR volunteers pull out a couple of folding tables, a coffee pot and some bakery items. They’ll hand out some bags and blankets then, just as quick, pack up and move to the next stop. The whole stop lasts about ten minutes.
“We’re fortunate, we have a really good team. A really solid team,” Walton said. “I’m super blessed to be surrounded by these type of people. They give their own time. Some of them are on commission. There’s no salary. They’re out here on their own time to serve the community.”
Walton says the experience has changed his outlook on everyday happiness.
“I’ve learned how to cope with a bad day, or what I think is a bad day and what a bad day really could be like,” Walton said. “I appreciate the opportunities we have. If you’re able to lend a hand, it could make a huge difference in somebody’s day. Something as simple as holding a door or returning someone’s grocery cart. Those gestures can make a world of difference because we never know what other people are struggling with.”
“This is an incredible community where people really do care about others,” Chapman said. “We couldn’t do it alone. But when you have guys like BFARR construction, who have a heart that obviously beats for others, it makes the community such a better place.”
Chapman says he hopes a profile on the BFARR volunteers will inspire others.
“They need to be recognized and serve as inspiration to other people who may want to step up and do the same thing,” he said.
“When you hand one of these bags, blankets or sleeping bags to someone and you see their eyes, there’s hope,” Walton said. “That’s what keeps all of us coming back. Just knowing that someone out there cares for them and there is hope.”
Information on volunteer opportunities can be found at the Salvation Army website.