Brinton Does it All

Brinton Parson isn’t your average volunteer. Or Board Member. Or Director of Development.  

Brinton taught at an Upper East private school in the late 1980s and would walk past the Neighborhood Center for Homeless People (NCHP), known informally as the NCS Drop-In Center, on her way home from work each day. The Drop-In Center, which opened in 1984, was a 24-hour service center providing food, clothing, showers, and connections to essential social services for unhoused New Yorkers. 

She wasn’t 100% sure what the Center was, but one day she decided to just “drop in” and see if she could help. At the time, she didn’t realize that she would be helping NCS for decades to come!  

On her first visit, Anne Teicher, NCS’s Executive Director at the time, handed her a large spoon and asked Brinton to help serve dinner. She soon started teaching clients how to apply for library cards and provided training on resume building to help them succeed and become independent. Brinton volunteered at the Drop-In Center regularly until it closed in 2008, due to changes in the New York City’s funding priorities.  

Brinton’s commitment to NCS spread to her family. Her twins Zander and Checka were raised with NCS on their minds, even bringing their piggy banks to the NCS Residence so they could donate money they had saved.  

In 2005, Anne invited Brinton to join the Board of Directors and in 2016, she was asked to take on the role of NCS’s Director of Development, which required her to step down from her Board position. She served in the position for about a year before returning to the Board. 

Today, Brinton has retired from the Board but is still actively involved with NCS. She has hired Louis Nine House residents at various schools she has worked at and enjoys helping with our annual fundraising events.  

She feels as close as ever with NCS. “I consider the clients, and staff and board my friends,” she shared.  

The feeling is mutual, Brinton.  

In honor of NCS’s 40th anniversary, we will be sharing stories about our founders, volunteers, supporters, and staff who make our work possible, and the residents and clients at the center of our mission.
Check back throughout the year as we regularly update the series with new stories from our 40 years here.