A local nonprofit marking its fifth anniversary this year has been living up to its name since its inception.
Welcome Home, located in West Newton, “strives to provide families experiencing hardship with basic household items they need to live with dignity,” according to its website.
Each week, the dedicated volunteers at its facility (1191 Washington Street, West Newton) work hard to sort through a variety of donated items. For example, they carefully inspect, coordinate, and fold new or gently used bed sheets and pillow cases into attractive bundles tied with a bow. Providing linens is just one of the many ways Welcome Home has helped thousands of people over the past five years.
“Above all, Welcome Home is a humanitarian effort. We are apolitical and areligious,” said Julie Plaut Mahoney, co-founder and executive director. “Our goal is to do our best to dignify the experience for our clients, volunteers, and item donors through the ways that we do our work.”
After clients receive essentials — including sheets, towels, plates, silverware, pots, pans, and small appliances (like a blender, coffee maker or microwave, etc.) — volunteers invite them to pick five additional items, such as colorful artwork, warm curtains, decorative pieces, etc., that will make their house feel like their home, said Plaut Mahoney.
Clients from near and far
With an increase in demand over the years, the nonprofit realized it “needed more space to serve more people,” said Mindy Frankel Peckler, co-founder and board member.
“We do not ask clients to document their need, citizenship status, or in any way demonstrate why they have found their way to us,” Plaut Mahoney said. “Our mission is to serve others with no fees, forms, or requirements, all while keeping items out of the landfill.”
Before relocating in 2022, Welcome Home had been housed in the basement of Trinity Parish of Newton Centre. The new facility in West Newton “has completely amplified what we’re able to do,” said Plaut Mahoney.
Providing household goods to thousands of people and partner organizations throughout Eastern Massachusetts and beyond, the organization continued its efforts during the COVID pandemic, when volunteers adapted procedures to follow health guidelines and stopped their vital work for only two-three weeks.
“Our clients’ needs were our top priority, so we worked to reopen as soon as possible,” said Susanne Salerno, volunteer and chair of the marketing and public relations committee.
Over the years, Plaut Mahoney said that women have made up the majority of the nonprofit’s clients.
“I always think about how many people are served by one woman coming to Welcome Home. If you give one woman a pot with a lid, how many men, children, older adults, and other women eat from that one pot,” she said. “It is a number that we will never know. But I find it poignant to think about, and it really motivates our work.”
The clients come from all socioeconomic backgrounds and often have recently left violent domestic situations.
Plaut Mahoney said that because the organization helps many new immigrants whose first language is Spanish, the nonprofit relies on its “team of Spanish-speaking volunteers to work on the phone and [by] email to help assess what a family needs.”
In 2023, Welcome Home also helped families from Ukraine as well as “some Israeli families who came to our area after [the] October 7 [terrorist attacks],” said Plaut Mahoney. “These families intend to return to Israel, and most let us know that they will return the items to us when they do, so we can repackage them for another family.”
Helping other nonprofits
“In 2023, Welcome Home served approximately 3,300 clients from its space in West Newton, but that figure does not include the thousands served through its nonprofit partners,” said Plaut Mahoney.
For example, every Wednesday a team of volunteers sets up two tables of goods at its partner, the Newton Food Pantry, allowing the latter to help even more community members, said Plaut Mahoney.
The group also donates two to five bags of blankets per week to Generic Ministry, a nonprofit that helps the homeless in Boston, she said.
In addition to Welcome Home reaching out and helping its nonprofit partners, businesses in turn reach out and help the West Newton organization.
For example, each month Welcome Home is able to purchase 50 pillows at a fixed cost from a local business.
“This is so important because a new pillow dignifies an entire client pack [of household goods],” she said.
In an arrangement with IKEA Stoughton, Welcome Home receives a twice-a-month donation of new items that are picked up and delivered to the Washington Street facility by Mark’s Moving and Storage, said Plaut Mahoney.
Of course, individuals who donate are a vital part of the effort to help clients, and item donors can bring gently used (or new) home goods to the West Newton facility during three scheduled drop-off times each week.
“As a small, local nonprofit, we rely on financial donations from individuals and businesses. We are deeply appreciative of the local businesses that support us financially and through in-kind donations,” said Plaut Mahoney. “As a city, Newton is made so much stronger by vibrant nonprofit organizations and local businesses. We have to stick together.”
Upcoming drives and how you can help
To serve more clients, Plaut Mahoney said Welcome Home needs more goods — both used and new.
“If you have any of the household basics (blankets, towels, silverware, dishes, small appliances), please consider making a drop-off appointment at Welcome Home (1191 Washington Street),” she said.
Many groups hold specific drives to benefit Welcome Home, and the nonprofit will be reaching out to more businesses for donations of “returned, overstock, and out-of-season goods.”
Here are some upcoming ways people can help:
- January 15: Service Stars, a local community service program for kids and families, will be holding a blanket drive at Newton North High School in conjunction with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
- January 23: Blue Ribbon BBQ (1375 Washington Street in West Newton, as well as their Arlington and Dedham locations) will donate a percentage of sales to Welcome Home when the customer mentions Welcome Home. This includes catering orders placed that day.
- February 8: Get ready for Valentine’s Day at Indulge! candy store (16 Lincoln Street, Newton Highlands). On that day, a percentage of sales will be donated to Welcome Home.