Catholic Charities’ food pantry at the Beacon of Hope Center made sure Mary and her family had enough to eat. Thanks to you, our staff helped her stand on her own.
Mary first came to Catholic Charities’ Beacon of Hope Center to receive assistance from the food pantry. Over the next few months Mary became a regular at the pantry, coming in like clockwork every two weeks. After the third month of coming to the food pantry, staff encouraged Mary to set-up an appointment to meet with her so they could develop a plan to get Mary back to self-sufficiency.
When Mary first met with her Case Manager in the Family Assistance Program, she explained that her husband had recently had heart surgery and was forced to quit his job. He was the sole breadwinner for their family, and without his income they were struggling to make ends meet. By this point, Mary and her husband were facing eviction, utility shut-off, in addition to not having enough food to eat.
Their life had been thrown into crisis. But hope was not lost.
With the help of generous supporters like you, Mary worked with her Case Manager and developed a plan to determine her needs, establish a household budget, and receive financial assistance and employment support. First, Mary’s rent and utilities were paid-off to help her get caught up on her bills. Then, Mary and her Case Manager found Mary a part-time job to supplement their household income. Finally, Mary worked diligently to stay within her budget, using the food pantry as support, and got her family back to a stable place.
Today, Mary and her husband are both working, they continue to live in their home, and they have not had to worry about not getting enough to eat or having utilities shut off. After her 90-day follow-up assessment, Mary told her Case Manager, “Catholic Charities is a true blessing. I am so grateful that I had someone to turn to in my time of need.”
Thank you for being there for people like Mary when the hard times come!