Fall River Has Angels at Work Thanks to This Non-Profit

A non-profit organization in Fall River has poured its heart and soul into helping the less fortunate for the past six years, and it’s the type of organization that deserves a spotlight. With colder month approaching and the holidays around the corner, the more people that know about Angels Anonymous, the better.

Melissa Dawson, the president and the executive of this non-profit 501c3, has been with the organization since the beginning in 2015. Born and raised in Fall River, Dawson wanted to have a hand in making the city a better place for all.

“When we first thought about this organization, it was a weird, political climate at the time,” Dawson said. “We wanted to give back but didn’t want to make taxpayers pay for the things to change, so we did it ourselves. We figured out a way to do it voluntarily.”

Dawson and the eight other board members decided the only way to do right by the community was by dedicating their free time to serve anyone in the Fall River community and neighboring communities by helping to improve the quality of life through providing valuable resources and a helping hand to anyone that knocked on their door.

At first, there was no door, but merely an idea and a group of people committed to dedicating their time to those in need. Over the past six years, Dawson has watched Angels Anonymous go from an idea to a mobile food pantry to an established nonprofit organization, all thanks to the dedication and love from volunteers.

“We started with city clean ups around the park, and just grew from there,” Dawson said. “We do whatever we feel would be helpful to the community.”

Angels Anonymous runs solely on donations, and when two Fall River doctors learned about this organization, they donated a space in their office building so they could have a brick-and-mortar location. This generous act allows the organization to host a pantry that is drive-thru accessible, every third Saturday and fourth Sunday of the month. They are currently serving over 300 households a month, which equates to about 1,000 people every four weeks.

“We don’t do income verification, either,” Dawson said. “It’s hard enough to ask for help, we’re not in the business of shaming anyone, if you wait in line, we will help you.”

This courageous and dedicated organization is small but mighty. Angels Anonymous is a shining example of what big hearts and motivated minds can do for the community. Whether you are looking to utilize, donate or spread the word, it’s comforting to know there are real angels out there looking over the city of Fall River and beyond.