The shelves of the Catholic Charities Greenville Food Pantry are a little bare after a record-breaking day. “Each day we strive for greatness and to serve individuals and families to the best of our abilities and make a difference. We are nothing as individuals, but amazing as a team,” shared Ms. Liz McDowell, Tar River Regional Director. Two staff and one student intern operate the food pantry with the help of volunteers. Yesterday, McDowell put… Read More
Catholic Charities offices have had to face many challenges in 2020 due to COVID-19. One important aspect keeping services running during this time has been volunteer support, but that has not been without it’s own hurdles. Together, staff and volunteers have found a variety of ways to continue providing vital resources to the community in a safe way that respects recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Durham Finds New Ways to Help and Serve…… Read More
Feeding the hungry, one of the Works of Mercy, unfolds every day at Catholic Charities offices through the efforts of dedicated staff and volunteers. With the coronavirus outbreak and resulting financial crisis impacting many individuals and families, the agency has seen a growth in demand for providing food to those in need. “We knew that there would be an increase in the number of people seeking assistance, including those who had never come to a… Read More
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, While I am so grateful for the charity I have seen in these past weeks, like many of you I am pained by what I have witnessed in recent days. How unfortunate that while so many of us have recently come together to protect one another, we have more recently seen instances of human abuse and individuals acting with complete disregard for their neighbors. Unfortunately, in our society the doors… Read More
Link to original press release. May 30, 2020 CCUSA is profoundly Disturbed by Such Continual Repetition of Acts of Indifference to Human Life Alexandria, Va. (May 30, 2020) – Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) President and CEO, Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, issued the following statement condemning the killing of George Floyd and the continuous acts of violence and indifference to human life: “These past few days as we watched the news, many of us found… Read More
On the second weekend in May, Dr. Russ Elmayan had expected to be celebrating the completion of his Doctor of Ministry degree from Duke University. Due to COVID-19, celebrations with family and friends had to be put on hold, but Dr. Elmayan doesn’t expect any delay in taking what he learned and applying it to his work for the Diocese of Raleigh and Catholic Charities. Dr. Elmayan has worked for the Diocese of Raleigh for… Read More
Ten days ago I shared that we were temporarily suspending food pantry services. During this time, we have been working tirelessly with a pandemic expert and team of volunteers who have successfully created a plan that allows Catholic Charities to move forward during this pandemic. The team focused its efforts on four key areas: • COVID-19 education and training for staff and volunteers • Evaluating the client in-take process • Cleaning and safety practices… Read More
March 25, 2020 Dear Friends, In just a short time, daily life has been disrupted by COVID-19, altering how we interact with our neighbors and how our churches, schools, and workplaces operate. During this unprecedented time, dedicated Catholic Charities staff and volunteers have been proud to continue serving the most vulnerable of our neighbors. Last week, we issued a statement pledging to continue providing our much-needed services to the community as long as were able to… Read More
Dear Friends, I am writing to share with you an update regarding our work in serving the community during this Coronavirus outbreak. We care deeply about ensuring a safe environment for our staff, volunteers, and the families we serve. We also realize the critical role of our programs for our neighbors in need, including our food pantries which help families put meals on their table. We are balancing these two objectives by implementing increased steps… Read More
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh recently named David Juarez Torres program director for the Durham Community Food Pantry. David has a long history of supporting the mission of Catholic Charities. Nine years ago, he first started as an American Corps member serving in Centro La Comunidad, a Catholic Charities Hispanic family center in Burlington. Once he finished his internship in 2011, David was hired to be part of the Catholic Charities Hispanic family… Read More
