April’s desire to become a nurse began when she was 20 years old. A supply clerk in a nursing home, she dreamt she was holding the hand of a resident who was dying. She knew then that she had a special calling to nursing. After becoming a full-time nurse, her passion for caring for patients [...]
Hope Hero Shout-Out Pam is a typical Catholic Charities volunteer. She cares. She is constantly busy. And she is a problem solver. There is one thing, though, that definitely sets her apart – she can quickly find a great recipe for just about any ingredient. This particular skill came to light when she began to [...]
Bill is a 54-year-old single male. Life was good until his chronic health issue of diabetes overtook his life. He found himself needing weekly dialysis, and without savings, he no longer had the luxury of choosing between paying his rent or paying for his much-needed medical care. Eventually, he was evicted from his long-term rental [...]
A story of hope from our Leavenworth Family Support Center staff Today we did deliveries of CSFP (Commodity Supplemental Food Program) and food pantry boxes to our elderly clients who cannot come in to pick them up themselves. These boxes are delivered by members of the Leavenworth Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus. One box [...]
Mediatrice's Story Mediatrice is a first-year farmer in the New Roots for Refugees program.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPz7obL1k4EMediatrice is from Africa. It is the place where she learned about farming. It is also where she became a refugee.Originally from Burundi, Mediatrice and her family lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania. She was resettled by Catholic Charities of Northeast [...]
Feature from The Leaven by Moira Cullings July 2, 2021 Above: Paul Monahan loads donations to Catholic Charities into the back of a Catholic Charities van during a recent food drive at Hy-Vee on 95th and Antioch in Overland Park. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JOE CORY OVERLAND PARK — When shoppers arrive at Hy-Vee on 95th and Antioch [...]
Sam is a 27-year-old Army Veteran and single dad who made an appointment at one our Family Support Centers last month for a homeless screening. When Sam met with a case manager, he explained that since he lost his job as a private contractor due to COVID-19, he and his two young sons had been [...]
A young girl keeps her distance as she waits for her turn for a meal from one of Catholic Charities’ mobile units. When schools closed in March, so did many children’s access to food. To date, Catholic Charities has served nearly 60,000 meals. PHOTO BY JACOB BENTZINGER by Jan Dixon Special to The Leaven ______ KANSAS [...]
Much of Catholic Charities’ 21-county service area is made up of rural communities. These areas are often described as food deserts. With very few resources available, their struggle to feed families in need has become even greater during COVID-19. To help alleviate the stress, Catholic Charities has provided 19,678 pounds of food to pantries in Linn, Jackson, Nemaha [...]
John, a single father of two came to one of our Family Support Centers for assistance after being laid off from his job because of COVID-19. He stated that this summer would be difficult for his family. Since John is not working, he is unable to provide for childcare, and is unsure how he [...]