The sun shone bright while a chilly breeze blew through the air Monday afternoon when Mr. Charles Bennett, a Hurricane Florence survivor, received the keys to his replacement mobile home. Bennett had been waiting over four years for this moment. The day was the culmination of work among various partner agencies still committed to long term recovery operations in response to Hurricane Florence. Family, friends, and the community partners who made this possible gathered for a holiday celebration with Bennett to celebrate this exciting milestone. As part of the celebration,… Read More
On Saturday, October 29th, Boy Scouts from Troop 352 in Raleigh gathered at the home of Benjamin Pappas to load donated supplies onto the Catholic Charities Tar River Office box truck. This event was the culmination of months of work to help Catholic Charities prepare for the next hurricane. Benjamin has been involved in scouting for almost ten years, beginning as a cub scout before moving up to the boy scouts. “I love the leadership opportunities Scouts BSA provides. This is one of the only places where kids and teens… Read More
From NC Catholics The Tar River Regional Office of Catholic Charities hosted an open house for its new facility Oct. 19. The building, which includes 5,000 square feet of space for offices and a food pantry with refrigeration, was also blessed by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama the same day during a short ceremony. Student singers from St. Peter Catholic School shared the gift of music. Lisa Perkins, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, and Rudy Kellerman, a volunteer and board member, shared readings. The program included words… Read More
Teeing off to fight hunger in central and eastern North Carolina, over 200 golfers gathered on Monday, August 15th at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary for the 5th Annual Catholic Charities Drive Out Hunger Golf Outing. The event raised over $70,000 to support the five Catholic Charities food pantries spread across the Diocese of Raleigh. “We were excited to make it to the 5-year mark today,” shared Katey Fithian, development director for Catholic Charities. “We were really encouraged with the initial success of this event back in 2018 and grateful… Read More
Centro Para Familias Hispanas once again hosted their yearly summer camp Pequeños Gigantes. Children who may not otherwise have had the chance to attend a summer camp were able to spend a week learning and playing with friends. CpFH hopes to continue the program in the future and look to add a second week!
Two months into hurricane season, on July 21 and 22, over 30 individuals gathered in New Bern for two days to learn essential steps for conducting effective disaster case management following a storm. Co-hosted by Catholic Charities and the Craven County Disaster Recovery Alliance (CCDRA), the training worked to increase the resiliency of coastal communities and increase the speed with which they recover from storms. Participants traveled from nine counties including Beaufort, Brunswick, Columbus, Craven, Franklin, Onslow, Pitt, and Wake to attend the training. “We are excited to be partnering… Read More
Sister Anne has been serving the Diocese of Raleigh for over 35 years. In her time here, she has served the community both as a clinical counselor and as a teacher. In both roles, she has helped countless children and adults work through grief, emotional distress, or other personal issues they might have faced. As her time working with Catholic Charities comes to an end and she begins transitioning into retirement, she reflects on all the good she has done. “I feel good, I loved every minute of it,… Read More
Through the immigration process, qualifying immigrants can be reunited with their family living in the United States and seek improved economic opportunities. However, this process can be confusing, complex, and expensive, making it challenging for immigrants to achieve. For over 25 years, the Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services have assisted families in the completion and submission of various immigration related processes. Each year, the program assists approximately 3,000 families with the following: naturalization and citizenship, family petitions, consular processing, humanitarian visas, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Services are… Read More
The Catholic Charities Annual Pig Pickin’ returned to an in-person format this year on Saturday, May 21st, 2022, after being held as virtual events in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The event was adapted to a drive-thru event due to continued concerns around the pandemic and raised over $20,000 with over 200 guests enjoying a delicious meal of pulled pork, coleslaw, hush puppies, and baked beans. Former CPO director and occasional volunteer, Terry Foley, came out to support the event and described it as a success, saying “Everyone we’ve… Read More
In the United States, 76 million individuals are enrolled in a Medicaid health care plan which provides health coverage to eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults, and people with disabilities. Beginning in 2022, a pilot program began in three areas of North Carolina to test providing expanded services to improve health outcomes of Medicaid Beneficiaries through the Healthy Opportunities Pilot. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, “The Healthy Opportunities Pilot is the nation’s first comprehensive program to test evidence-based, non-medical interventions designed to… Read More
