Support from local parishes is vital for Catholic Charities offices to meet the many and various needs of individuals and families within the Diocese of Raleigh. Each year, the staff at the Catholic Charities Office in Fayetteville witness the enthusiasm for helping others displayed by local parishes which supports them in providing high quality services to the community. Even in the midst of the pandemic, this collaboration never stopped coming. Without local churches and their… Read More
*For privacy concerns, names were changed in this story. Eviction is a reality that far too many families face when they struggle to pay their bills each month. This is the situation that Diane Lane found herself in before coming to the Durham Community Food Pantry, a program of Catholic Charities. After suffering job related injuries, Lane’s monthly income dwindled down to only $400 a month. As a result, she was struggling to pay her… Read More
While all food pantries provide clients with groceries, there exist varying pantry operation models, each with their own benefits and accompanying challenges. Over the past several decades, doctors, nutritionists, sociologists, policy analysts, and other social scientists have studied the methods and operations of different food pantry models. Their work has reviewed the effects of operations on clients’ individual lifestyles, as well as the effects of operations within larger social structures. This research has resulted in… Read More
At the Catholic Charities offices of the Raleigh, Cape Fear and Tar River Regions, staff and volunteers worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to ensured that dozens of families are able to enjoy the holiday season, through the “Wrapped with Love” Christmas Program. This year has been very difficult for many families. Sharing gifts, despite the new restrictions that limit the organization of large gathering of people in one place, would provide some much… Read More
The Newman Catholic Student Center Parish at UNC Chapel Hill (NCSCP) is a pivotal and invaluable partner to the Catholic Charities Durham Community Food Pantry (DCFP). Since the inception of the DCFP, the NCSCP has been an ardent supporter in providing food drives, as well as individual donations. This fall, the NCSCP held their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive in support of the DCFP, titled the “Trunk to Truck Thanksgiving Food Drive.” Through this effort, parishioners… Read More
Suzan Perry started volunteering with the Durham Community Food Pantry in April 2020, right as the food pantry was adapting to distributing groceries during COVID-19. Due to the pandemic, many volunteers had decided to stay home for their safety, leaving a gap in serving the community. Staff conducted outreach efforts to find additional volunteers, which successfully recruited new dedicated helpers like Perry. “Without new volunteers like Suzan, we would not have been able to respond… Read More
Catholic Parish Outreach Food Pantry – Raleigh As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, Catholic Parish Outreach (CPO) is experiencing its busiest time of the year. Hundreds of individuals and families are served in this time leading up to the holiday. On Tuesday, November 24th Bishop Luis Rafael joined CPO volunteers as they distributed food to clients. He spoke with volunteers before food distribution began and thanked them for their faithful service. This year food distribution was… Read More
Eastern North Carolina has been battered by hurricanes over the past few years. Out of the devastation, many groups have reflected on service delivery methods and implemented changes to improve response activities for future storms. One example of this happening are steps that the Catholic Charities Cape Fear Office and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina – Wilmington Branch have taken to get food to survivors more quickly following a storm. Hurricane… Read More
Providing help, creating hope, serving all. This is the tag line for Catholic Charities. It is also an appropriate description of how Mrs. Patricia Gutierrez Tootoo works in the community. Due to her incredible commitment to others, Tootoo was recently nominated to receive the 2020 Impact Award. The annual Impact Award is organized by the Domestic Violence Shelter and Services, Inc. and New Hanover County Domestic Violence Advocacy Council (DVAC), in collaboration with the Pullman… Read More
Lisa Perkins, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, and Kathy Johnson, Executive Director of Oak City Cares, recently shared the update below regarding the operations of Oak City Cares and the relationship between Catholic Charities and Oak City Cares. The letter has been posted to the Catholic Charities website for all to review. Dear Friend of Oak City Cares and Catholic Charities, We hope this message finds you well and healthy… Read More
