The program recruits groups of volunteers to “adopt” a client of one of the three Catholic Charities homeless shelters and help them by gathering the necessities for making a home.

Meche said being part of this project creates an awareness that is an eye opener for him and his classmates.

He said that “we should be grateful for what we have for the time being, because something can happen, you know, taking away from us.”

“What are some of the things you are helping provide? Some bedding?” Meche asked. “Just clothes. Blankets or a TV and stuff and the kids that she has.”

Notre Dame assistant football and basketball coach John Braham of Notre Dame says that the work has been embraced by the whole Pioneer community.

“So as a community and as a school, Notre Dame gathered all of those things from cleaning supplies to beds to all the basic necessities that one would need that you started and to wear,” Braham said. “And in one day, you know, we put everything together and they have a place that they can move right in to just this afternoon. And they’ll walk into a place that’s fully furnished.”

That dedication has not gone unrecognized by Catholic Charities and its Chief of External Affairs Ben Broussard.

“It means the world to us that this opportunity for compassion was just taken on in such a beautiful way by the Notre Dame family,” Broussard said. “They prepared this home and it’s now going to be lived in by somebody who needs that second chance at life.”

And while the family who calls this place home gets a fresh start, Braham said having students like Braxton Meche get a fresh perspective on life that will carry that into their future is almost as important.

“We’re all called as Christians and Catholics to give back to those in need every day,” Braham said. “And this is a great opportunity for them to see. First of all, it gives them an opportunity to be thankful for what they have, but also that gives that opportunity that they can give back and have a real part in really doing God’s work.”

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