by Katie Patrick
We need your help! Vote for Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska during UBT’s Big Give. Voting closes Friday, Aug. 26.
Union Bank & Trust is giving $100,000 apiece to 10 different charitable organizations to fund projects or initiatives that will benefit the community. Three nonprofits will be selected in each of the large and medium categories and four nonprofits will be selected from the small category. Each category has roughly 20 nonprofits.
As a finalist in the large category, Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska highlights the need to go “Back to the Basics” as we live our mission of performing the Works of Mercy in response to the call of God, and we are asking for your support to provide food, shelter, and clothing to those in need.
What will be the impact on the community, if CSS wins this contest? Let me tell you what we are able to do now, and then imagine what we could do with our present resources from you and the money we could potentially win with your help:
As Bishop Conley recently put it during our board meeting at CSS: “When people come down here to CSS, some may say that there’s a lot of stuff lying around, but no, this is where the work of the Church is being done. Here, people are working; they are serving. There’s a lot of good work being done here.”
Indeed there is! With your support, last quarter in Lincoln, we provided 12.9 tons of food to 898 individuals and distributed 2,494 sack lunches and 1,100 breakfast burritos to the homeless and working poor of downtown Lincoln.
One particular young man who walked through our food market lives in a group home for adults who have disabilities. He comes every month for food. This last week he came with one of the caregivers who works at the home. He was so thankful for the ways we helped him that he drew us a picture of the cross with hearts and on it he wrote, "Dear Food Bank People, God loves you!"
Last quarter at CSS, we distributed $91,318 to households in need of rent, utilities, and other financial assistance. One of the many people we were able to help was a single, middle-age woman, who is disabled and lives on a tight budget. She was hospitalized twice for pancreatitis and again for gallbladder surgery. Over a three-month period she fell behind on her rent and utility bills. She had received an electricity disconnection notice. CSS helped her both with rent and her electric bill.
Last quarter, we also distributed 58,230 diapers and 158 gas vouchers. We invited 290 homeless or low-income clients to shop at St. Louise Gift & Thrift at a value of $7,021. Our immigration legal services team helped 156 clients while the Marian Sisters and our program staff at St. Gianna Women’s Homes provided safe housing to 37 women and children. Our refugee resettlement team secured employment for 32 refugee clients and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center provided 1,311 counseling sessions. With all this, there does indeed tend to be a lot of stuff lying around – as it is of course being moved, cleaned, organized, and redistributed by our faithful staff and volunteers.
So head on over to https://www.ubt.com/big-give/catholic-social-services or scan the QR code and vote for Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska.
While you’re there, don’t forget to vote for Pius X High School, who is a finalist in the medium category. Many of our staff are Pius grads, myself included, and I can say without a doubt that having experienced an education rooted in our Catholic faith inspires each of us to serve the poor and vulnerable through our work at CSS. At CSS, we inspire hope and love in every encounter because we are Catholic. Will you join us?
