For Catholic Charities Diocese of Gary, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season involves a lot of planning, organizing and communicating between its staff and partners to ensure as many families as possible, no matter their financial situation, have a nice Christmas thanks to it's annual Holiday Program.
Preparations for the Holiday Program begin months in advance, and by the weeks leading up to Christmas the program is in full swing. This year, volunteer partners were busy dropping off Christmas wish list items for the 128 families that were identified based on the services Catholic Charities provided to them during the year through its Community Outreach, Food Pantry, Women’s Care Center, Immigration Services, Affordable Housing and Financial Workshops.
Esther Miller, development manager, said it's important to note that Catholic Charities has seen a 73% increase from the 74 families that it provided Christmas wish list items to last year through its Holiday Program.
“As you can imagine, with this type of an increase in the number of families in need, the financial donations that we have also received from our partners is making a significant difference in having enough gifts for these children, adults and seniors to open for Christmas,” said Miller.
She added, “All of our partners, whether they have given either their time, talent, or treasures, have certainly been the helping hands that are making this year’s Catholic Charities Holiday Program a huge success.”
For more than a decade, St. Maria Goretti in Dyer has given support to the mission of Catholic Charities through an Angel Tree program, and this year was no different. Parishioners “adopted” 25 children from 10 families.
“Catholic Charities does have a good handle on the needs of the community and what they focus on,” explained Karen Boyle, parish secretary.
Boyle said she is appreciative that Catholic Charities is helping those who are truly in need and offering support and kindness to those who are lonely and perhaps don’t have a support network. She said working with Catholic Charities during the Christmas season creates an understanding that, “we are all equal in God’s eyes.”
“Christmas matters. It matters for children. It matters for families. It matters for seniors. It just matters,” she said.
Each year several diocesan schools likewise reach out to Catholic Charities to assist the organization and those it serves. Students and teachers at Andrean High School in Merrillville were again ready to help Catholic Charities this holiday season. The partnership between the school and Catholic Charities started approximately five years ago when Principal Jaycob Knazur reached out to see how the staff and students could lend a hand.
This year, continuing to participate in community service projects, students first organized a food drive. The collected items were delivered to Ss. Monica and Luke Soup Kitchen in Gary and the Catholic Charities Food Pantry. In addition, teachers in the Theology Department agreed to work with their classes to “adopt” 20 families with 75 children. Wish list items for those families were purchased and the school’s National Honor Society wrapped the gifts.
“The students are always generous when we have done drives,” shared teacher Denise Maldonado. “Ss. Monica and Luke received two truckloads of food and I believe Catholic Charities had to make a double trip as well. We’ve done really well.”
This year, St. John Evangelist School in St. John was able to provide 20 families with dinner and groceries for Thanksgiving and Christmas thanks to a food drive conducted by the students, as well as provide two families with Christmas gifts from the staff.
Each grade was assigned a food item and turkeys, hams, butter, milk, bread and eggs were also collected and delivered to Catholic Charities for the 20 families.
The food drive is sponsored by the student council, whose members packed up the boxes for the families and loaded them into the cars for parent volunteers to deliver to Catholic Charities.
Principal Kate Frederickson said the project helps students experience the impact of the community coming together to help another community in need.
"Catholic Charities does so much to promote the basic Catholic principles of acknowledging that all people have dignity, value, and worth and deserve to be treated that way," she said. "They allow many opportunities and avenues for us Catholics to be able to practice our faith and to reach those in need."
Other groups working with Catholic Charities this Christmas season to either collect or distribute gifts for Northwest Indiana families included: Calumet College of St. Joseph, Women’s Care Center in Hammond, Paladin, Inc. – Head Start of LaPorte County in Michigan City, St. Thomas More parish in Munster, Minority Contractors Collaboration, St. Mary parish in Crown Point, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity – Gary Alumni Chapter and more.
“These important partners are helping to bring a smile to a child’s face, joy to parents, and delight to a senior as they open up their presents this Christmas. Catholic Charities partners are providing help and creating hope for families in need this holiday season,” Miller said.
To learn more about Catholic Charities Diocese of Gary and find ways you can help support the ministry, call 886-3549 or visit catholic-charities.org.
BY ERIN CISZCZON
Northwest Indiana Catholic