Matthew Fitzgerald has a mission. The 16-year-old has set out to make a difference in the lives of homeless people in New London County. A member of Boy Scout Troop 93 in Uncasville, he decided to make it his Eagle Scout project to collect clothing and other items and get them into the hands of the less fortunate in the community.
On Saturday, July 5, Fitzgerald organized fellow scouts for the first of six collections of new and gently used clothing, shelter and personal care items. For three hours they accepted donated items from people in front of Beit Bros. Supermarket in Uncasville.
“There are tons of things just sitting in people’s closets and basements that could be used to help people who can’t afford things that we take for granted,” he said.
For the next two Saturday afternoons in July and three more in August, the scouts will be in front of the grocery store from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The scouts are looking for new and used jackets, pants, shirts, footwear and undergarments for men and women, as well as non-perishable food items, toiletries, can openers, tents, sleeping bags and backpacks. The outer clothing and equipment must be in good usable condition; undergarments and personal items should be new.
Fitzgerald has teamed up with Malta Incorporated, a faith-based charity, based out of the non-denominational Pleasant Valley Church in Groton, to collect and distribute the collected items. Malta provides street ministry and support to homeless. On Friday nights, teams go out in Groton and Norwich to take food, clothing and bibles to people living on the street.
“There is always a need for men’s jeans, white sox and underwear,” said Pamela Michaud, Malta Inc. “So are backpacks. If the homeless don’t carry their prize possessions on them, these get stolen. Sometimes, the entire backpack gets taken and it and the contents need to be replaced.”
It is important to Fitzgerald to do more than collect and distribute items to the homeless in the area. He also wants to make other people more aware of the local problem and need for assistance. So he sought out the Montville Times, looking for coverage.
“We’re very proud of him, he wants to do something to help the homeless in the greater New London community, and he felt his Eagle project could make a difference in the lives of these people,” said his mother, Mary, who is troop leader for Junior Girl Scout Troop 3033 in Montville. His sisters, Megan 15, and Suzanna, 11, also are in scouts. He has a younger brother, Kevin, 12. His father, Thomas, was a scout.
There are 40 scouts in Boy Scout Troop 93 in Uncasville, ranging from 11 to 18 years old. Becoming an Eagle Scout requires earning 21 merit badges, being a life scout, have had two positions of leadership before completing a community service project, Fitzgerald said.
Most people don’t realize how big of a process an Eagle Scout project is, said Duane Kelly, troop scout leader for past 4 years.
“It’s a very grilling process. They have come up with a viable, substantial project, with a complete write-up of who, what, when, where, why, how, and who’s going to pay for it,” he said. “As Scout Master, it’s my job to coach them before the project.”
That coaching includes raising different scenarios and what-if’s along the way, from organizing who is going to do what, to anticipating and addressing safety considerations. In the case of Fitzgerald’s plan, that included traffic flow and congestion around Beit Bros. and the shopping plaza.
Once the scout master approves it, Kelly said the Eagle Scout proposal gets reviewed and ultimately approved by the Mohegan District of the Connecticut River Council of the Boy Scouts.
When the project gets underway, Kelly said, he and the other scouts will be looking to the aspiring Eagle Scout for leadership, organizational skills and guidance.
“It’s a different role then,” he said.
Once the project is completed, the scout has to write up a final report, addressing if, why and how changes were made from the original plan. All in all, it’s a valuable tool for any young person, preparing them for the working world, Kelly said.
“If their employer says ‘hey, let’s figure out how to make better widgets,’ the Eagle Scout is going to know where to start,” he said.
Tim Plourde, the son of Dawn and John Plourde, Uncasville, recently completed his Eagle Scout project, landscaping at Oakdale School. Kelly said another scout is in the process of getting his project approved.
Fitzgerald is organizing other scouts to help with the collections. They also will help Malta volunteers with the sorting donations, assembling and delivering them to people in need. This includes going along on the Friday night Malta missions.
There’s also the question of where and how to store six Saturday’s worth of donated clothing, equipment and items in the interim. He has arranged for warehouse space at ACME Wire in Mystic. His mother is president of the family business.
Fitzgerald enjoys camping, hiking, boating and fishing. The junior at Montville High School plans to go into the Coast Guard or Air Force and eventually becoming a commercial airline pilot.
Upcoming Help the Homeless Collections are 12 – 3 p.m., Saturdays, July 12 and 19, Aug. 2, 9 and 16, in front of Beit Bros., 601 Norwich New London Tpke, Uncasville. Contact Matthew Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald22422@aol.com
Helping the Homeless in New London County
Malta, Inc., based in Groton, has been ministering and assisting the homeless community in New London for several years. The charity is so well known on the street, Pamela Michaud said, that homeless people will help each other by writing down and turning in requests for specific items or sizes of clothing from one week to the next.
“Brand new socks and underwear are at the heart of our ministry,” states the Malta Inc. website. “Having new socks and underwear helps people to retain dignity and where there is dignity there is a better sense of self-esteem and hope.”
Last year, the organization distributed over 2400 pairs of socks to men and women in Groton and New London. With the addition of its Norwich outreach this year, it expects to distribute closer to 4000 pairs.
Malta also has a transitional living center on Hynes Avenue in Groton that currently houses single men. Applicants must have a referral by their pastor or church, Michaud said.
“When they come into our transitional living center, they go through an interview, drug and alcohol and background tests,” she said. “We pay for all of this to be done. They also have to sign a form, committing to help out around the house and to actively search for a job.”
During their stay, Malta coaches the men on life skills, things like opening a bank account and setting aside savings. There generally is not a fee to stay at the house, she said, but men who arrive with a job are asked to contribute a nominal fee.
The center had housed a family for about a year, following Hurricane Katrina, and helped them get back on their feet and move to Rhode Island for a full-time job. It currently has only 3-4 openings for single men, she said.
“We’re getting so many calls now from men who have lost their jobs or their wife has kicked them out of the house,” Michaud said. Malta refers these immediate needs cases to homeless shelters.
Malta’s experience is that it takes at least a year for the men to get a good paying job, set up savings and prepare to pay rent. Goals are set and reviewed.
There is not a set time period for them to stay at the center; in fact the center’s current manager was one of the early-on success stories. He stayed at the house, later got married and now is the facility manager, getting the residents involved in maintenance and upkeep. The four-unit apartment building was built in 1910.
“We’ve had many more success stories than not,” she said. “They definitely have to be willing to abide by the rules of the house, or they will be asked to leave.”
The charity also accepts monetary donations. Its biggest fund-raiser is the Samaritan Swim each January at Eastern Point Beach in Groton.
For more information, see www.maltaministries.org