by Katie Patrick
We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of Mike Hosek, co-sponsors BetterLife Lodge 426 and Knights of Columbus Council #13576 (from St. Patrick Church in Lincoln), and the many volunteers who helped with this year’s Walk to End Hunger event, held Sunday, Aug. 7 at Pius X High School in Lincoln.
A friendly competition among the Knights of Columbus resulted in a grand total of $7,513.91 raised, and 12,072 pounds of food collected. Our amazing food market program manager, Doris Schueth, and her fleet of volunteers processed and shelved it all in less than a week! It’s a good thing too, because after doing the math, this amount of food will last us about two and a half months. The need in the community is increasing and events like these do a tremendous job of keeping our shelves full so that we can continue to help families like Anna’s:
“We have helped Anna in the past with some immigration legal services, but recently she hasn’t been able to work because she is caring for her sick mother. Anna has had difficulty paying for the essentials like food and gas to get to doctor appointments. We have been able to help her with food, a gas voucher, and a gift card to Walmart to alleviate some of the stress. She has always been so thankful for the services we provide.
“At first she is always leery of asking for help because she feels like a burden and that she doesn’t deserve the help. I have had a few conversations about her feeling that way and I am always quick to reassure her that she is not a burden and that this is what we are called to do for one another. We are called to care for those in need and to do the corporal works of mercy like feed the hungry. In thanksgiving for the ways that we help her, she often makes food from her home country and shares it with us here in the office.”
- Alexis Brouillette, client relations specialist and intern, St. Gianna Women’s Homes
Every time you volunteer, donate food, or make a financial donation, it impacts people like Anna. Many of the families who walk through our food markets have fallen on hard times. Whether it’s a job loss, an illness, or an unexpected emergency, having fully stocked nutritious food markets, matched by staff and volunteers who are positive, merciful and encouraging, can make a huge difference in the lives of those we serve.
At Catholic Social Services, we are privileged to serve those in need in our communities, and with every donation we receive, from Auburn to Imperial, we are ready and willing to do even more! At CSS, we seek to inspire hope and love in every encounter because we are Catholic. Thank you for making it possible!
