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 [...]
Keith and his wife Shelly were paired with Jim and Dee for over eight years through Catholic Charities’ Friendly Visitors program. Jim and Dee never had children. Each was the last remaining sibling in their families. This foursome would enjoy visits and monthly dinners together. Shelly and Keith helped when it was time to [...]
We had an adoption finalize recently. While every adoption finalization is a hope story of God’s divine intervention, God’s grace and beauty, and God’s love for all his children including adults and children; this adoption was no different. The timing of how the couple, birthmother, and child met was quick. The turnaround time was [...]
Mary is a bus driver and only receives steady income during the school year. A Program Specialist has been working with her for the last 7 months through our Family Financial Transformations™ Program. Mary is also receiving housing assistance through Catholic Charities. At the beginning of the program, Mary was not able to pay [...]
Brent, age 40, was raised on a farm in Basehor, KS. Like many hard working families, both of his parents worked full-time jobs. Growing up, Brent spent many hours with his grandparents. His grandfather was his role model, and would be instrumental to a major decision Brent would make later in life. After high [...]
In our VITA program, we are fortunate to partner with Benedictine College. We have a great group of volunteers and interns from the school. VITA gives them an opportunity to hone their accounting skills while serving their community. As volunteer tax preparers, they have seen first-hand the extreme poverty some of our brothers and sisters [...]
Michael Shirley grew up with humble means. His parents were the product of the Great Depression and barely had the resources to care for their family. “They taught me early to save everything that I could,” says Michael. “They taught me to be frugal.” It was his mother, Irene, who grew up in an orphanage [...]