Diocese of Wilmington Catholic Charities Veteran Fritz Jones

Set to Retire in January after 45 Years of Service

Executive Director Frederick “Fritz” Jones of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington plans to retire in mid-January 2024, after 45 years with the agency. Dialog photo / Joseph P. Owens

Fritz Jones remembers the day he began work for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Wilmington.

He’s had different roles and responsibilities in that time, but the current executive director of the Catholic social services agency has been helping clients in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland the entire time.

That will come to an end at the beginning of next year when Jones retires.

January 2024 might seem like a long way off, but Jones believed it best to give the diocese time to find his replacement and hopefully bring that person in to work with him and soak up his considerable institutional knowledge before he begins retirement.

Jones, a lifelong Delaware resident, achieved a college degree in criminal justice and believed he was pointed toward a career in corrections when he interviewed for a job as child-care counselor at Siena Hall, which was a facility for abused kids run by Catholic Charities.

“I just got hooked. I knew early on that I just had a way with kids

that made them feel comfortable.”

— Fritz Jones

It was a comfort level that he carried through his various responsibilities as he continued working his way up as a manager at the facility, then director of group homes and eventually head of children’s services. He became one of two regional directors about 15 years ago and then took over program operations for Catholic Charities. He was named executive director a little more than two years ago.

He said he had a conversation with his boss,

Msgr. Steven P. Hurley, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the diocese, when he was asked to fill the top job. He knew he only had a couple of years remaining before retirement, and he wanted to be sure that was okay with the boss and then-Bishop Malooly.

It was.

To read the full Dialog article, click here.

From left, Msgr. Steven P. Hurley, Fritz Jones and Xavier DeCaire, Catholic Charities board chairman.

Catholic Charities Disaster Recovery Program

Assists Victims of Hurricane Ida

Catholic Charities has been awarded funding from Catholic Charities USA to assist in the 11th Street Bridge Disaster Recovery Program that responds to the community in Wilmington impacted by Hurricane Ida flooding in September of 2021.

Sister Katheen Flood, OSF, Disaster Recovery Case Manager for the program, manages efforts in helping the numerous hurricane survivors in restoring normalcy to their homes and lives. The hurricane impacted over 170 homes and since that time, 22 families have not been able to return to their homes. The program also endeavors to leverage current efforts for relief assistance for residents in the event future natural or man-made disasters hit Delaware or Maryland's Eastern Shore.

To watch the Disaster Recovery Program video and hear about relief efforts, click below.

To access the Catholic Forum video interview with Sister Kathleen Flood who talks about current and future program efforts, click here.

Help Us Feed Those in Need

June is "Stock the Pantry" Month!

Help us “Stock the Pantry” during June!

Catholic Charities currently serves over 3,000 households each year. In a single month, we distribute over 10,000 pounds of food through our food pantries and cooperative programs.

Throughout the month, Catholic Charities locations will accept donations of nonperishable food, such as canned meats, soups, fruits, and vegetables; boxes of pasta, cereal, baking mixes; jars of peanut butter and jelly; coffee, tea, powdered milk. We also welcome donations of cleaning products, dish detergent, paper goods, and personal care items like shampoo and soap.

In addition to nonperishable food and grocery store gift cards, Catholic Charities will also accept monetary donations in order to purchase additional food to fill bags for the food distribution programs. Each distribution is valued at $50.

Catholic Charities will accept donations at its locations Mon-Fri between 9am-4pm. Seton Center in Princess Anne, MD hours are 10am-2pm.

Click here for suggested donation items and drop-off locations in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties in Delaware and Somerset County in Maryland.   

Click here to find Catholic Charities’ locations near you.

Click here to make an online donation. Kindly designate your gift to Food Assistance.

Energy Assistance Applications Accepted Starting July 1

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered in Delaware by Catholic Charities, will accept applications beginning Monday, July 1, 2023 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).

Click here to learn more about eligibility requirements. To see if you qualify, make an appointment with a Catholic Charities office for an interview. Catholic Charities will accept 2023 LIHEAP heating assistance applications beginning July 1, 2023.

To download the LIHEAP application, click here.

Complete, sign, and submit your application, along with copies of the required documents. 

For more information about energy assistance, 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

Bayard House: Client Success Spotlight

Lori* had dealt with gaps in healthcare, financial debt, and lack of direction before she arrived at Bayard House during her pregnancy. Lori remained determined to turn her situation around. Working with her Catholic Charities case manager helped Lori to focus on her health, manage debt, and learn how to take care of her newborn. She has gotten her life back on track and is now better able take care of herself and her baby!

Bayard House services include Residential Maternity Care, Diaper Bank and Pregnancy Counseling.

*Client name changed to protect privacy.

To watch the Bayard House video, click on the red button below.

To learn more about Bayard House, click here.

For 24-hour pregnancy counseling, please call our toll-free hotline: 877-225-7870.

To make an online donation, click here please designate "Bayard House" from the drop down menu under "Please designate my gift for the following ministry".

Get Your School & Parish Teams Ready Over the Summer!

Bishop’s 5K Run/Walk • Saturday, November 18, 2023

Saint Mark’s High School | 2501 Pike Creek Road | Wilmington, DE 19808

This fun event brings the community together to heighten awareness of the services that Catholic Charities provides. Runners and walkers compete to see who makes the best time, and will be awarded medals, along with a complimentary race t-shirt and refreshments.  

Registration information to follow!

For info about Sponsorships, contact Sheila McGirl at sheilamcgirl@cdow.org or 302-573-3121.

Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Services

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Despite advances in health equity, disparities in mental health care 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 poor mental health outcomes among racial and ethnic minority populations.

Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Services provides outpatient counseling and psychiatric services

to individuals with emotional, behavioral and mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse recovery and loss of a loved one. Treatment is offered by our caring licensed professionals to individuals, couples, families, and groups. The program accepts many third party insurance payments, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. If a client meets eligibility, a sliding fee scale

is also available to make counseling affordable.

Learn How Behavioral Health Services can help.

In New Castle County, call 302-655-9624

In Kent County, call 302-674-1600

In Sussex County, call 302-856-9578

On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, call 410-651-9608

To learn more about the Behavioral Services Program, click here.

To make a donation to the Behavioral Services Program, please click here. In the “Please designate my gift to the following Ministry” dropdown menu, please choose “Behavioral Health Services”.

Join Our Team!

Catholic Charities Employment Opportunities

The Diocese of Wilmington and Catholic Charities currently have the following employment opportunities:

• Executive Director, DE

• Fund Development and Public Relations Manager, DE

To learn about these and other opportunities, click here. 

Thank You to All Our Supporters & Partners! 

We Would Like to Recognize the following Catholic Charities Partners

Delaware State Housing Authority, Somerset County Commissioners, United Way of Delaware, United Way of Lower Eastern Shore, Delaware Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Eastern Shore, Raskob Foundation, Laffey-McHugh Foundation, Catholic Charities USA.

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 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.

You are receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in Catholic Charities.

Please add communityrelations@ccwilm.org to your address book so we'll land in your inbox!

No person is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

© 2023 - Catholic Charities - Diocese of Wilmington

501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization