Make God's Love Visible
“I never thought I’d need to ask for help. I used to give to Catholic Charities.”
Today’s economic climate has rocked the foundation of our community. People who used to skate above the ice of poverty have now fallen through and are struggling to keep their head above the frigid waters.
At Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, we strive to Make God’s Love Visible to our neighbors everyday. But we can’t do it alone; together we must work to make a different tomorrow for our community. Together, we must work to meet the basic needs of our neighbors. Needs like…
Food
In September, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that more people in the United States now live in poverty than at any time since they began keeping records. Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf is seeing those statistics in the faces of the clients coming through our door seeking basic necessities like food. They’re scared because they don’t have any food to put on the table to feed their family. How do you tell your child there’s nothing to eat?
$100 can provide three families with a full week’s worth of food.
A place to live
As Veterans come home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some re-integrate into society seamlessly. Others struggle. Some wind up separated from their families and involved with substances – eventually finding themselves homeless. Catholic Charities Veteran’s Transitional Housing serves those who served our country, providing them with a stable, supportive living environment - a place to work to re-integrate into society successfully.
$100 will provide heat to a Veteran for three months this winter.
A healthy family
Financial instability can induce stress that tears at the fabric that holds a family together. Many of Catholic Charities programs seek to reduce and teach a family to deal with stress. Catholic Charities Life Transitions Services in Sauk Rapids helps families deal with the specific stresses surrounding divorce, death and job loss, while Catholic Charities Caritas Mental Health Clinic offers support services to meet individual family needs.
A long life
Scientific research has shown that in places where people live the longest, there is no concept of retirement. An older person’s jobs may change, but they are always valued for their wisdom, and always have meaningful tasks to perform. Such is Catholic Charities Foster Grandparent Program. The program allows seniors to contribute to their community - while sharing their wisdom with the younger generation. Studies show the children flourish and the grandparents remain healthier, longer.
An ordinary life
So often, when one of our mental health professionals comes across a client they once worked with at Catholic Charities St. Cloud Children’s Home, they’ll say the young person, now an adult, is “alive and not in prison.” They recognize the work that we did with that child to help them tap into their inner strength and wisdom allowed them to grow up to be a contributing member of society – to get married, to have a family, to hold a job, to pay their bills – just like everyone else.
For many of our clients, their life could have been one of violence and crime, but because of our work, a child’s tenuous future has become an adult success.
How much of my donation really helps those in need?
We take using our resources very seriously. 87.7% of the dollars we receive go directly to serving clients. We’re quite proud of our record.
If it is the only way you can support our work, please, pray for us. Pray for those who come to us seeking help. Pray for our employees and for our over 3,000 volunteers who work to Make God’s Love Visible in Central Minnesota. If you can support us financially, please do.
