Since 2010 the Bedford Neighbor Brigade has been providing assistance to individuals and families in crisis within the

Since 2010 the Bedford Neighbor Brigade has been providing assistance to individuals and families in crisis within the community. A non-profit organization that is entirely composed of volunteers, the Bedford Neighbor Brigade employs residents to assist with fellow Bedfordites during their moments of need.

"What we do is help Bedford neighbors when they are facing a sudden crisis," Bedford Neighbor Brigade Chapter Leader Amy Mason said. "We assist these people in typical day-to-day tasks such as driving them to appointments, helping them walk their dog, shopping, meal-preparation and other activities."

Neighbor Brigrade is an organization made up of different chapters throughout New England, beginning in Wayland under the name "Wayland Angels." Mason founded the Bedford chapter in 2010 as the Bedford Angels, although the name changed to the Neighbor Brigade later that year. Currently, the Neighbor Brigade has 260 volunteers.

The organization works by volunteers applying to be a part of the organization and after being thoroughly vetted they become apart of the group. Tasks requiring volunteers are posted online and volunteers can sign up for the tasks at their leisure.

"The schedule is really beneficial to the volunteers because they can do it on their own time," Mason said. "We have an open schedule so people that work can still volunteer and contribute when they get the chance.

Bedford resident Jeff Hoyland first discovered the Bedford Neighbor Brigade after his first battle with cancer when he was looking for a way to give back to the community.

"After my first cancer treatment, I found out about the Neighbor Brigade. There were a lot of Bedford citizens who individually helped me and my family during my battle with cancer," Hoyland said. "I wanted to give back to the community in a meaningful way, so I became a volunteer with my daughter to help walk dogs, especially for cancer treatment patients."

Hoyland was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and underwent surgery and required Hyperbaric Therapy to aid his recovery. During his treatment, Bedford Neighbor Brigade assisted him by providing rides to Emerson Hospital for treatment as well as rides to the grocery and drug store. Hoyland is quick to credit Bedford Neighbor Brigade for their assistance in his recovery.

"I'm still alive (because of them). No really, Neighbor Brigade was key to making sure that I kept on schedule for my healthcare trips. They eliminated a lot of the stress that scheduling doctors visits can cause," Hoyland said. "More importantly, the people who drove me are fun people with good spirits, and conversations to and from appointments are enjoyable memories. Neighbor Brigade, has shown my daughter about how a community helps each other and has been inspired he to be a lead in Bedford's Relay for Life."

Since Mason has been involved with the organization, the list of volunteers has grown exponentially, many of whom were introduced to the program when Bedford Neighbor Brigade provided a service to them.

"The great part of the organization is that people are so taken with the amount of friends that they have made the people that have supported them, that they want to give back through Neighbor Brigade," Mason said. "We had a woman in the community who unfortunately passed away after battling cancer. She had two sisters who saw the support that we provided for their sister and they began chapters of the brigade in their own communities. "

Residents who are interested in either volunteering or requesting assistance from Bedford Neighbor Brigade can do so at neighborbrigade.org