On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, a stretch of Lebanon Church Road in Clarendon, North Carolina, came alive with emotion as staff from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, volunteers, and community members gathered to celebrate the Ward family’s long-awaited return home. After years of hardship caused by Hurricane Florence, the family’s new house was formally blessed in a heartfelt ceremony filled with prayers, tears, and joy. Jennifer and Koty Ward, along with their two… Read More
On Friday, April 26, 2025, Catholic Parish Outreach (CPO) Food Pantry in Raleigh hosted its 13th Annual Pig Pickin’ & Open House, welcoming hundreds of guests for an afternoon of food, fellowship, and fundraising. Guests enjoyed a festive atmosphere filled with barbecue, live bluegrass music, a bake sale, and a raffle all in support of CPO’s mission to feed and serve neighbors in need. What began as a simple open house to introduce the… Read More
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson released the following statement congratulating Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope: Today we join with the global Catholic Church and people of good will throughout the United States and around the world in congratulating and praying for Pope Leo XIV as he begins his papacy. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the College of Cardinals has chosen a pontiff who, true to… Read More
On May 8, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh brought together staff from across the Central and Eastern North Carolina for a comprehensive hurricane preparedness tabletop training. Held at the Eastern Baptist Association in Rose Hill, the event was a vital step in reinforcing the agency’s commitment to providing timely and effective disaster response services to local communities. The training brough together 37 staff members representing all eight regional offices, along with representatives from… Read More
This year, Earth Day falls at the beginning of National Volunteer Week, allowing Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh to reflect on the role our volunteers play in connecting with nature. Our mission of creating hope through community aid is done in a variety of ways, but on Earth Day, we’re highlighting how our Cape Fear and Tar River regional offices have done this through their creation of green spaces! In 2018, the Cape… Read More
In reaction to the death of Pope Francis, Catholic Charities USA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson issued the following statement: Throughout his historic papacy, Pope Francis inspired Catholics and all people of good will to live as Christ did. A modern-day prophet, Pope Francis read the signs of the times and awakened us to meaningful change in our behavior — within the Church and within the world. Complex challenges such as extreme poverty, homelessness,… Read More
When Catholic Charities first visited the Carol C Mobile Home Park in Wallace, NC, staff were unexpectedly assisted with fostering trust within this vulnerable community. On this initial visit, staff and volunteers were outsiders, looking to connect with individuals and distribute fresh, healthy food. Helping break down this barrier was an individual who had regularly visited the Catholic Charities Choice Pantry at the Cape Fear Regional Office in Wilmington. This individual, who is a painter,… Read More
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh has a long history of serving our most vulnerable neighbors through disaster services, food pantries, providing financial assistance for things like rent and utilities, and through immigration legal services. Our immigration staff are accredited by the Department of Justice and are knowledgeable about current laws, evaluate if clients are eligible for services, and assist clients in following immigration laws. For the list of legal processes staff support families… Read More
As Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh continues its critical role in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, staff members reflect on their recent deployments to East Tennessee, where they collaborated with local agencies to help hurricane survivors. In October and November, three staff members from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh traveled to East Tennessee for rotating two-week deployments as part of the Staff Assistance Program coordinated by Catholic Charities USA. Most recently, Fayetteville… Read More
For people working in disaster preparedness, “blue sky” days are a vital opportunity for communities to build preparedness and improve resiliency before the next disaster. In emergency disaster work, “blue sky” refers to non-disaster periods and “gray sky” is the time around an incident, such as in 2016 for Hurricane Matthew and 2018 for Hurricane Florence here in North Carolina. Catholic Charities Communications and Disaster Services Director Daniel Altenau said, “Each disaster teaches us valuable… Read More
