The News-Herald is a respected news source that gives voice to local stories of the Downriver Michigan communities. St Joseph’s Helpers is honored to have been featured in an article by Susan Thwing, an award-winning Michigan journalist!
In this feature, you’ll learn more about:
Our dedicated volunteers.
Stories of the neighbors we serve.
The growing need for safe, essential home repairs
The urgent need for more volunteers to support our expanding list of clients in need and how to find out more at
sjhelpers.org or via call at 800-303-5075.
We deeply appreciate the feature! It really speaks to the heart of St Joseph’s Helpers mission and service. Thank you to Susan and The News-Herald!
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Faith in action: Taylor nonprofit repairs homes, restores peace of mind
Mark H, Mark T and Bill volunteer with St. Joseph’s Helpers. Photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s Helpers
By Susan Thwing |
PUBLISHED: December 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM EST
On a recent weekday morning in Taylor, the phones at St. Joseph’s Helpers were already ringing.
On the other end: a senior who couldn’t safely get down her front steps anymore. A veteran whose bathroom grab bar had pulled loose from the wall. An older woman who simply needed someone she could trust to change a ceiling light she could no longer reach.
“They call us for everything,” said executive director Rayna Bennett. “Roofs, transportation, major renovations. Even when we can’t do the repair ourselves, we want to make sure they don’t hang up feeling like there’s no hope.”
Based in Taylor and serving communities across Downriver and beyond, St. Joseph’s Helpers is a Christian-based nonprofit that matches people in need of small, safety-related home repairs with volunteers who can help. Volunteers who also bring a healthy dose of kindness and companionship with them.
“We’re more than just a home repair service,” Bennett said. “Our mission is to help people feel safe and secure in their homes, and to remind them they’re not alone.”
A simple idea that grew quickly
St. Joseph’s Helpers launched in late 2022 at St. Mary Parish in Rockwood. Parish handyman and longtime business leader Tony Rosati, newly retired, found himself wanting a new way to serve.
“He had always been the one everyone called when something broke,” Bennett said. “After he retired, he realized there were so many more people who needed that kind of help but couldn’t afford a contractor, especially seniors.”
Rosati and a small board of directors began building the program from scratch: insurance, safety policies, a mission, and a structure that could grow. They brought on Bennett as the organization’s first executive director.
“At the beginning, it was just Tony and me and two phones,” she said. “We started calling churches, organizations, anybody who would listen, just to explain our mission and ask if they knew someone who needed help, or someone who might want to volunteer.”
In 2023, their first full year, St. Joseph’s Helpers served about 300 people, primarily in southern Wayne County and Monroe County, and recruited roughly 100 volunteers. Today, the organization has more than 300 volunteers and is on track to serve about 1,800 people this year across seven counties in Southeast Michigan and nine counties in central Kentucky.
“That’s an 800% increase from year one,” Bennett said. “The need is huge and we still don’t have enough volunteers.”
From Rockwood to Taylor
As the program grew, the Rockwood office space, up a set of steep convent stairs, became a barrier.
“Most of our volunteers are seniors themselves,” Bennett said. “Asking them to go up and down old stairs just wasn’t realistic. We were losing volunteers because of it.”
The organization moved into an accessible office building in Taylor, complete with an elevator and a central location.
“Taylor made sense,” she said. “We’re easier to reach from Detroit, Monroe, and all the Downriver communities, and we can welcome volunteers and clients in a space that works for everyone.”
While the office is in Taylor, all calls and online requests come through the same central hub, and volunteers fan out from there.
“We don’t have chapters or satellite offices,” Bennett said. “Whether you’re in Trenton, Wyandotte, Taylor, or another Downriver community, it all starts with a call or a request on our website.”
Four parts of the mission
Bennett describes St. Joseph’s Helpers as “a four-part pie”:
- Home repairs: Volunteers handle small, safety-focused projects: grab bars, railings, portable ramps, minor plumbing and electrical work. They follow strict safety guidelines: no climbing on roofs, no work beyond what insurance allows.
Often, the fixes are simple but life-changing. Bennett recalls a woman who had a ramp connected to her sliding glass door but no way to lock it from the outside.
“She couldn’t leave her home using the ramp because she couldn’t lock the door behind her,” Bennett said. “A contractor quoted her around $1,400 or $1,500. We installed a universal lock kit for under $30. That’s the difference between being stuck and being independent.”
- Companionship: Every job includes at least two volunteers: one to work on the repair, and another to sit with the client.
“From the moment they call our office in Taylor, we’re listening,” Bennett said. “By the time we show up, we’re not just fixing a faucet or installing a grab bar. We’re talking with them, hearing their stories, making sure they feel seen and safe.”
- Spiritual support: As a Christian-based nonprofit, St. Joseph’s Helpers also offers a prayer request program through its website, supported by priests, ministers, deacons, and laypeople across the region.
“We get about 200 or more prayer requests each quarter,” Bennett said. “It’s another way we try to wrap people in support.”
- Information and resources: For repairs they can’t handle — like roofs or transportation — they rely on “Julie’s List,” a vetted online directory created by assistant executive director Julie Kennedy Carpenter.
“Even if it’s not a repair we can handle, we don’t want to say, ‘Sorry, good luck,’” Bennett said. “Julie’s List lets us connect them to other organizations that might help.”
Various volunteer team members step up to help seniors in need. Photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s Helpers
Helping seniors age in place
St. Joseph’s Helpers serves several groups, but seniors are the top priority, along with veterans and people with physical challenges or disabilities.
“Our aging population is growing fast,” Bennett said. “If a $60 grab bar can help someone shower safely and stay in their own home for years longer, that’s dignity. That’s independence.”
Most clients are low- to moderate-income, living on Social Security or limited retirement savings. After someone contacts the organization, volunteers complete an intake to understand the person’s needs and financial situation.
“We don’t charge for labor,” Bennett said. “We ask, if they’re able, that they give a donation to help the next person. It’s a pay-it-forward model.”
Volunteers wanted, handy or not
With demand rising, St. Joseph’s Helpers is actively recruiting more volunteers from Downriver and beyond.
“You don’t have to be a master carpenter,” Bennett said. “We do need handy people, but we also need companions, advocates, and office help.”
Volunteers apply online, undergo a nationwide background check, and receive a T-shirt and orientation. They can log in to the website to browse open projects and choose those that fit their skills and schedules.
“Our only real ‘ask’ is about two hours a month,” Bennett said. “Two hours can change someone’s life.”
Mentors in each region help train new volunteers, and partnerships with local student groups and trade programs help expand the pipeline.
How to get involved
St. Joseph’s Helpers operates entirely on donations and grants, including material partnerships with Great Lakes Ace Hardware, which supplies many of the grab bars and safety items installed in homes across the region.
“Donations and volunteers are what keep us going,” Bennett said. “There are so many seniors and people with disabilities who just need a little help to stay safe at home.”
To request help, volunteer, or donate, visit sjhelpers.org or call 800-303-5075.
“Even two hours can make a difference,” Bennett said. “You’re not just fixing a house. You’re giving someone peace of mind.”
The upstairs kitchen sink was clogged; a volunteer snaked the drain and got it working. The client had bad knees and was going downstairs to wash dishes in the basement sink. Photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s Helpers
