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 family. As their website states, “This award serves as a commitment to honor those lives… 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 as we write to share exciting news about the future of Oak City Cares. As… Read More
A grand opening, developing a new nutrition program, and adapting all of this to COVID-19. These are all things the Durham Community Food Pantry (DCFP) has accomplished over the past 18 months. The DCFP opened its doors to the community in May 2019, after moving from a small office on University Drive, to a 7,400 square foot facility in the Lakewood Shopping Center. With the expanded capacity, Catholic Charities looked for additional services to pair with the distribution of food to provide more comprehensive support for families. In 2019, Catholic… Read More
Recently, StarNews Media and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce released their annual 40 under 40 list. This year, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh is excited that our Regional Director for the Cape Fear Office, Ms. Emilie Hart, was included on this list. Following this recognition, we sat down with a few of Hart’s coworkers and community partners to learn more about why she was a good candidate for inclusion on this list. In speaking with those who work with Hart, many repeated themes emerged, including a positive energy… Read More
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 out a call for additional volunteers in anticipation of serving a large volume of families…. Read More
Rafael Lopez who is originally from San Salvador in Salvador, immigrated to the United States when he was only 19 years old. Like many Salvadorians in the United States, he immigrated to escape the repression and violence associated with the onset of civil war. When Lopez arrived in the United States in 1990, he didn’t have any relatives living here, he didn’t speak English, and he had very little money. He did have a friend who helped him to get settled in his new life in America. Working and helping… 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… In early March, when quarantine requirements were implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, older… Read More
Catholic Charities Cape Fear Regional staff typically distribute food from the food pantry located in their downtown Wilmington office. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, as with many things, the food pantry was forced to adapt. In order to better serve the community, food distribution has gone mobile, reaching remote communities facing major shortages of food. “Historically, we had taken food and other supplies out to communities following disasters such as Hurricane Matthew and Florence,” shared Emilie Hart, Cape Fear Regional Director. “We felt that the mobile distribution model… 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 food pantry before,” said Lisa Perkins, Catholic Charities Executive Director. In the middle of the… 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 of justice and equality are often closed for many. As people of faith, we stand against… Read More
