History
 In
response to a demand at local parishes for food assistance, the Greater New
Bedford Area Clergy and Religious Association opened a soup kitchen at the
Pilgrim United Church of Christ in December 1982. The soup kitchen, which was
open two days per week for lunch, served soup and peanut butter sandwiches, and
was operated by volunteers from four local churches. Over the years, additional
days have been added to the soup kitchen schedule and it currently operates five
days per week and serves approximately 180 meals per day with volunteers from
twenty-five area churches.
At this same time, Sister Rose was working in the public schools teaching
English as a second language to children from the Portuguese and Spanish
communities. With time off from school during the summer, Sister Rose began
volunteering at the soup kitchen. She soon noticed the increasing need for
blankets due to homelessness. Rev. Ransom, the Pastor of the Church at that time
and several of the volunteers including long standing Board member Liz Martin
began to meet as a group to discuss what could be done to address the homeless
issue.
 The group decided to open a homeless shelter and began looking for a
location. The City of New Bedford offered free space, at the shelter’s original
location of 1204 Purchase Street in New Bedford. The shelter opened on an
evening when a serious snowstorm was predicted. City officials delivered cots to
the site and assisted volunteers in preparing the new location. UMASS Dartmouth
sent a security guard who ended up inviting the first guests into the shelter.
He saw two men huddled in the alley outside of the building at the height of the
storm.
In March of 1983 a group of individuals including Janet Zajac, Barbara
Taverna, Rev. Edward Holleran, Rev. David Ransom and Sister Rosellen Gallogly
filed articles of organization with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to form
Market Ministries, Inc. The name Market Ministries, Inc. was the idea of Rabbi
Bernard Glassman to identify to the public that the agency was an agency in the
market place that was started out of a ministry.
Much like the soup kitchen, the shelter was run strictly by volunteers
including Sister Rose. She would leave her job at school and go to the shelter
where she would stay the night. When the shelter first opened, it was a safe
haven for both men and women between the hours of 5:00 pm to 6:00 am. At this
point in time, it would be another year before the shelter began to receive
money from the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare.
Sister Rose was added as the Executive Director of Market Ministries, Inc. in
1983 and paid staff was added in 1984.
 In
June of 1984, the shelter moved to its present location on Eighth Street in New
Bedford and was opened after a prayer by Rabbi Bernard Glassman of Tifereth
Israel Congregation. The operation continued to be run with volunteers and
donations received from local churches. The agency was able to afford this
location through the generosity of the City of New Bedford which owned the
property and gave the shelter a 10-year lease at a rent of $1 per year along
with a $90,000 grant for renovations.
Shortly thereafter, the shelter began to receive funding from the
Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, today known as The Department of
Transitional Assistance (DTA), and operated on an annual budget of $90,000.
Today the agency receives approximately $300,000 of funding from DTA toward its
$500,000 annual operating budget.
On August 13, 1986 the agency was granted non-profit status as a 501(c)(3)
organization by the IRS.
On April 2, 1998 the agency purchased the property adjacent to the shelter at
72 Eighth Street. A three year donation from an anonymous benefactor allowed it
to pay off the mortgage, and various Community Development Block Grants allowed
the agency to restore the building, refurbish the inside and allowed for the
addition of a food pantry which is currently operated once a month and serves
140 to 150 people.
The shelter, which serves only men, can accommodate 32 guests on site and
additional guests at the Mariner’s Home. Each client is served breakfast and
dinner at the shelter and lunch is available at the soup kitchen.
The agency also operates the Transitional Housing Program, which is funded
through the Massachusetts Housing And Shelter Alliance and is a tenement located
at 198 Penniman Street in the city’s west end. Guests referred to this program
have an apartment and continuing social services to help them become productive
citizens. Resources are available for outreach, employment, counseling and
referrals.
Today the shelter has several funding sources including the Department of
Transitional Assistance, the City of New Bedford, FEMA, the Massachusetts
Housing And Shelter Alliance, Sisters of Mercy and the generous donations of
individuals and businesses within the community.
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