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Committed to Wellness: Catholic Charities

Draws A Crowd to Their Community Health Fair

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington hosted a Community Wellness Health Fair where community members had an opportunity to meet with 15 organizations who offered a variety of free wellness services, such as health and wellness screenings, preventive information, and dental screenings as well as free food boxes from the Food Bank of Delaware.


Sponsored by:

Catholic Charities, University of Delaware Healthy Communities Partnership & The Salvation Army


Thank You to the Following Organizations:

Beautiful Gate Outreach Center, Catholic Charities, Christiana Care, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, Delaware’s Lt. Governors Challenge, Delaware Health and Social Services’ Bridge Clinic, Delaware Health and Social Services Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, Delaware Smile Check Program, Food Bank of Delaware, Highmark Delaware, Partnership for Healthy Communities – University of Delaware Community Engagement Initiative, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, St. Francis Healthcare, United Way of Delaware, and others.


Catholic Charities, the social service arm of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, has been serving those in need for 192 years, offering a wide range of services to strengthen families, care for children, assist the disadvantaged, and build human relationships throughout Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.


For more information about Catholic Charities, click here

Seton Center Emergency Food Pantry Adds

New "Choice" Food Program

Catholic Charities Food Assistance Program helps families in need stretch their income by providing supplemental bags of groceries once per month.


The Seton Center Emergency Pantry, at our Maryland Eastern Shore location introduced the new “Choice” Food Pantry as a new option, allowing households in crisis the opportunity to shop and choose their own groceries. Choice is available twice per month. The Pantry provides nutritious groceries on an emergency basis every 30 days for those who meet income guidelines.

 

The Emergency Food Pantry

30632 Hampden Avenue, Princess Anne, MD

Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm


To contact the Eastern Shore office, please call 410-651-9608.

Jennifer Trager (left), Seton Center Program Manager, and

Mariah Jones (right), Seton Center Food Pantry Supervisor, help households in crisis through the Emergency Food Pantry at our Seton Center location in Princess Anne, MD. They are committed to the work of advocacy, outreach and assistance.

Click here to find Catholic Charities' locations near you.

Click here to learn more about our Food Assistance program.

Click here to make an online donation. Designate your gift to “Food Assistance.”

Casa San Francisco Receives $9,700 Donation

from Delaware’s Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)

Casa San Francisco representative Andrea Rotsch, left, from Catholic Charities Diocese of Wilmington, accepts a donation check from DAR Delaware State Regent Dr. Gloria Lester.

Catholic Charities Casa San Francisco was the grateful recipient of $9,700 from the Delaware Daughters of the American Revolution. State Regent, Dr. Gloria Lester, presented the donation as part of her State Regent’s Project, announced recently.


The Daughters of the American Revolution is a service organization whose membership is lineage-based. Members are direct descents of patriots who provided support to the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War. The mission of the organization is historic preservation, patriotism and education. Each State Regent selects a project to support during her three-year administration and may conduct various fundraisers for their chosen project. The donation was made possible through the generous contributions of the Delaware DAR members and the proceeds from the sale of the State Regent’s Starfish pins. Additionally, during the early days of the pandemic, the Delaware DAR made masks for Casa San Francisco and also donated goods and clothing.


Located in Milton, DE, Casa provides shelter for up to 12 adults for approximately 30 days in addition to a wide range of services aimed at helping low-income residents of Sussex County. Shelter residents work with case managers to obtain income and find affordable local housing opportunities. Last year, 58 persons found shelter at Casa San Francisco. Casa also operates the largest food assistance program in Sussex County, serving 12 sites throughout the county. Clients of Casa San Francisco are referred internally to Catholic Charities’ basic needs, immigration, and behavioral health programs for additional support services as needed.


For more info about Casa San Francisco, click here.

Catholic Charities Welcomes Gary Belkot –

New Program Manager at Casa San Francisco 

Gary is a broadly experienced and versatile human services professional, administrator and manager, counselor and advocate. He has worked in a variety of settings and with diverse residential and other populations, including: individuals with co-occurring conditions and substance use disorders; court-adjudicated young men; multiply-disabled students; college students; child support clients; and Family Court litigants. Gary's educational background includes a M.S. in Counseling & Human Relations and a B.A. in English, both from Villanova University.


Gary is fond of saying that "We're all put together differently," and wants to bring that appreciation for the diversity of individuals and their experiences to his work.


Originally from Pittsburgh, Gary relocated to Delaware with his wife Linda to her childhood hometown of Georgetown where they reared their three children. In his free time, Gary enjoys walks through Cape Henlopen State Park with Linda, DIY home projects, yard work, reading, exercising, and especially being with his family and grandchildren.

Energy Assistance Applications Now Available

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered in Delaware by Catholic Charities, is now accepting applications for the upcoming heating season. This federally funded program assists low-income Delawareans with heating bills through direct payments to home energy suppliers. The LIHEAP benefit is based on a household's income, size, and type of fuel.

 

LIHEAP offers the following support with one annual application:

 

Fuel Assistance provides home heating assistance for eligible households who need help paying winter energy bills. LIHEAP does not pay for all heating costs. Eligible households receive one annual benefit.

 

Energy Crisis Intervention when activated, ECIP provides assistance for eligible households in an emergency situation. This supplemental benefit can be in addition to the regular fuel assistance benefit.

 

Summer Cooling / Electric Assistance helps eligible households by paying a portion of summer electric bills. Eligible households receive one annual benefit, if funds are available. Electric vendors may apply this benefit to electric use from June 1 through August 31. Households must be approved for other LIHEAP assistance in order to qualify for a Summer Cooling electric benefit.

 

LIHEAP Eligibility

You may be eligible for assistance if your total household income falls within income eligibility guidelines. For example, a household of 4 can have no more than $52,530 in annual household income (before taxes).

 

To apply you must submit an application. Click here for the current LIHEAP application.

For a list of documents needed for your first application, click here.

To learn more about our Energy Assistance program, click here.

New Castle County Office

2601 W 4th Street

Wilmington, Delaware 19805

302-654-9295; Fax 302-654-9757

Kent County Office

2099 S DuPont Highway

Dover, Delaware 19901

302-674-1782; Fax 302-531-0850

Sussex County Office

404 S Bedford Street, Suite 9

Georgetown, Delaware 19947

302-856-6310; Fax: 302-856-6332

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Despite advances in health equity, disparities in mental healthcare persist. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use emergency departments, and more likely to receive lower quality care. Poor mental health care access and quality contribute to undesirable outcomes, including suicide, among minority populations.

 

Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Services provides outpatient counseling services to individuals with emotional, behavioral and mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse recovery and loss of a loved one. We also provide psychiatric services including assessments, evaluations, and medication management. Treatment is offered by our caring licensed professionals' in-person, and through easy access via video-link, to individuals, couples, families, and groups. The program accepts many third party insurance payments, including Medicare and Medicaid. For those who are uninsured or underinsured, our sliding fee scale is available to make counseling affordable.

 

"The world has hundreds of languages...a smile speaks them all..."

- Anonymous

 

To learn how our Behavioral Health Services can help, call the Catholic Charities office nearest you.

New Castle County 302-655-9624; Kent County 302-674-1600; Sussex County 302-856-9578; Maryland's Eastern Shore 410-651-9608.


To learn more about the program, click here.

To make an online donation, please click here and designate your gift to "Behavioral Health Services".

The Migrant Story is a Human Story

“Migrants trust that they will encounter acceptance, solidarity, and help,

that they will meet people who will sympathize with the distress and tragedy experienced

by others, recognize the values and resources the latter have to offer,

and are open to sharing humanly and materially with the needy and disadvantaged.”

– Pope Francis


In the Catholic community, we honor migrants and newcomers. We identify them as our brothers and sisters, and see in their vulnerability and need the face of God. They live in our families, fill our pews, work in our agencies and receive our services.


At its heart, the migrant’s story is a human story — as old as the story of Mary and Joseph seeking room at the inn — and our ministry is a humanitarian one.

 

Click here to learn more about this national network and read "And They Shall Know Us by Our Love", a booklet produced by the Catholic Charities, Migrants and Ministry arm of Catholic Charities USA.

 

Click here for more information on Catholic Charities Immigration Counseling Services locally.

 

To make an online donation, please click here and designate your gift to "Immigration Services".

Ways to Donate to Catholic Charities

Vehicle Donations

Catholic Charities accepts donations of cars and other motor vehicles to support its programs benefiting the most vulnerable in our communities.


In addition to automobiles, we accept donated trucks, boats, RVs and motorcycles. Donors can make the gift at no cost to them. Catholic Charities will accept all vehicle donations regardless of condition or registration status, arrange for vehicle pickup, if necessary, and provide the donor with an IRS tax receipt for their records.


Click here to donate a vehicle or call 1-844-940-GIVE (1-844-940-4483).

"I donated my vehicle to Catholic Charities.

It was easy and tax rewarding!"

Contributed by Chuck Findley*, a Delaware resident.


My 2003 Volkswagen Passat’s engine light was on and did not pass Delaware’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) inspection. To fix the engine light meant to pay more in repairs than the car was worth. Time to donate it to Catholic Charities! But, I was unsure how that process works.

 

I found it was easy. I completed the donation form online. The next day, a representative called, wanting to know if the car was parked in a location for access from a no-cost tow truck. It didn’t matter if the car was in operating condition or not. We coordinated a day for pick up and the tow truck driver showed up on time with a 30-45 minute lead call to my cell.

 

The whole process was uncomplicated and professional:

Step 1: Vehicle Donation Confirmation

Step 2: Vehicle Pick-up

Step 3: Vehicle Release of Liability (signing the title over)

Step 4: Final Donation Receipt

 

I turned in the tags and registration to DMV the next day. I received a tax deductible receipt in the mail. It was a good feeling to help Catholic Charities’ cause.

 

*Name has been changed for privacy.

Save the Date! Nov 19, 2022


Bishops 5K Run/Walk

at Saint Mark's High School


Registration details coming soon.

 

For more info, contact Andrea Rotsch at arotsch@cdow.org or 302-573-3121.

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Mark Your Calendar!


Catholic Charities Annual Tribute Dinner

April 17, 2023

Chase Center on the Riverfront



Each year, Catholic Charities honors outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a deep commitment to addressing the well-being of our communities’ most vulnerable – our own mission. We bestow upon these remarkable persons the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award, created in 1989 in memory of Msgr. Reese, a community activist and longtime director of Catholic Social Services, the forerunner of Catholic Charities.


For more info about Catholic Charities Annual Tribute Dinner or to become an event sponsor, please contact Andrea Rotsch at arotsch@cdow.org or 302-573-3121.

Catholic Charities serves the most vulnerable in Delaware and the 
Eastern Shore of Maryland, regardless of religion, race, or ability to pay.

For more information about Catholic Charities, click here.
To make a donation to Catholic Charities, click here.
To learn about becoming a Volunteer, click here.
To learn about employment opportunities, click here.
To follow us on Facebook, click here.

Catholic Charities Mission
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington exists to help fulfill the Christian duty to love and serve God's people. Our mission is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The universal and local Church proclaims the Gospel and teaches the recognition of the dignity and sacredness of each human life and the belief that we are called to share our resources with the most vulnerable among us.

It is the mission of Catholic Charities to address human suffering and to promote and restore the well-being of people and society by:
  • Providing, as a primary focus, caring service to families and persons in need;
  • Coming together with members of the community to become informed about and to take action on critical social issues; and,
  • Advocating publicly for social policies which enhance human dignity and safeguard basic human rights.
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