George Bailey Is 2016 Winner Of Sister Rose Award

George Bailey, the man who oversees the Mobile Loaves and Fishes program is this year's recipient of the Sister Rose Award.

The award is presented by the Homeless Service Providers Network in New Bedford. It honors someone in the community who has done special work to aid the city's homeless population.

George Bailey began Mobile Loaves and Fishes several years ago out of St. Paul's Methodist Church on Rockdale Avenue. The program reaches out to the homeless with food, supplies and more.

"When you go out we start with food and clothes and so on, but after a while, it becomes a relationship with them. You're not trusted initially but once they see you and know you're for real, they often open up and confide with you," said Bailey.

He says the goal is to ultimately lead homeless folks into programs that can help them get off the street.

Other churches and synagogues have now joined in, driving a food truck to locations where the homeless gather, distributing food, clothing and blankets.

The award was presented Wednesday during the City of New Bedford's celebration marking 42 years of the Community Development Program. Its a federal program that provides money to communities around the country for improvements in local parks, on roads and sidewalks, and housing programs.