Food Assistance

Please Help “Stock the Pantry”

Catholic Charities Stock the Pantry Drive is here! We proudly report that we currently provide food for 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. See below for how you can play a part in helping to feed those in need in your community.

While we always accept food donations, during the month of February, Catholic Charities focuses more closely on how we can all step up to help those that need assistance in our community.

We 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, and 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 also accepts monetary donations. These help us to purchase additional food for the food distribution programs. Each distribution is valued at $50.

Donations accepted 9am – 4pm, Monday through Friday

Click here for suggested donation items.

Click here to find Catholic Charities’ locations near you.

Click here to make an online donation. Designate your gift to Food Assistance. Or mail a check to Catholic Charities, 2601 W 4th Street, Wilmington, DE 19805. Note designation on the memo line.

Thank you for your support and generosity as we continue to help provide

for a growing demand in our Food Assistance programs.

Fritz Jones, Honored for 45 Years with Catholic Charities

Maryland Senator Mary Beth Carozza of District 38 presents a Senate resolution to Fritz Jones, who retired in January after 45 years with Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Wilmington. Article and photo courtesy of The Dialog.

Fritz Jones, the recently retired Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington, was presented with a resolution from the Maryland State Senate recognizing his more than 40 years of service.

The resolution was presented to Jones on Jan. 29, 2024, in Annapolis, Maryland by State Senator Mary Beth Carozza of District 38. Bishop Koenig was in attendance for the presentation.

“In recognition of your retirement after 45 years of dedicated service to the residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore with the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington, making a lasting impact on our shore community,” the resolution reads.

A lifelong Delaware resident, Jones, 68, retired at the same time as his wife of 38 years, Donna, who also worked for the Diocese.

To read the full article in The Dialog, click here.

Please Join us!

2024 Catholic Charities Annual Tribute Dinner

“Heartstrings of Hope Gala”

In just two months, Catholic Charities will host the Annual Tribute Dinner at Chase Center on the Riverfront. This year’s theme is “Heartstrings for Hope Gala”.

2024 HONOREE

Xavier DeCaire, Community Philanthropist

Mr. Xavier DeCaire, former partner with George J Weiner Associates, was the Chairman of the Board at Wellness Community Delaware, and the University and Whist Club, and is the Chairman of the Board at the Delaware American Cancer Society. He is the former President of Caesar Rodney Rotary Club. He serves on the Boards of St. Anthony’s Community Center Delaware, Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, and Catholic Charities, and was a volunteer with Operation Smile. He founded Kids with Confidence to cover surgical costs for children with facial anomalies. He is a Trustee Emeritus and recipient of the Simon Brute Medal award from Mount St. Mary’s University.

To read more about our 2024 Honoree, click here.

Purchase your tickets now!

Thursday, April 18

Chase Center on the Riverfront

Wilmington, DE

Registration: 5pm

Dinner & Drinks

Live Band performance by Tweed DOGs,

including retired Catholic Charities Executive Director Fritz Jones,

playing classic rock and blues!

Business Attire • Reserved Seating

Purchase Tickets

Become A Sponsor

For more information, please contact Stephanie Kelton at skelton@cdow.org or call 302.573.3121.

Behavioral Health Services

Catholic Forum Interviews Lisa Ritchie, Program Manager

In the February 2 Catholic Forum Video Interview, Stephanie Kelton, Fund Development and Public Relations Manager for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington, interviewed Lisa Ritchie, Program Manager of Behavioral Health Services for Catholic Charities. Lisa talked about the therapeutic services that Catholic Charities provides, including a new program that helps young people experiencing the first episode of psychosis.

Catholic Forum can be heard every Saturday at 1:30pm on Relevant Radio 640 and is podcast on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music podcasts. To listen to the podcast, click here.

To view the interview on the Diocese of Wilmington's YouTube channel, click here.

Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Services program consists of multiple services for persons needing help with emotional, behavioral, or mental health concerns. Catholic Charities provides counseling services to anyone for whom outpatient treatment is the right choice.

Be Part of Delaware's Giving Day, March 7-8 2024

“Give Where You Live”

24 Hours to Donate:

Thursday, March 7 at 6pm through Friday, March 8 at 6pm

Donations will help Catholic Charities serve the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. The hungry, homeless, those struggling to remain securely housed, persons trying to deal with a mental illness or emotional distress - all come to Catholic Charities for assistance.

Your gift will help to provide clients with food, shelter, financial coaching, mental health counseling, and case management support to overcome their distress and successfully become self-sufficient.

To donate to Catholic Charities during Do More 24 Delaware, click her e.

Do More 24 Delaware is a 24-hour day of giving designed to help nonprofits raise more money and engage new donors. Do More 24 Delaware is powered by United Way of Delaware.

Catholic Charities, a Delaware sponsor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), works to help licensed childcare homes and centers to serve healthy, nutritious meals to children in their care.

Child & Adult Care Food Program

CACFP Week is March 10-16, 2024

During National CACFP Week, March 10-16, Catholic Charities joins with Delaware family childcare providers in acknowledging the many ways our community benefits from the CACFP.

Good nutrition is the recipe for an all-around happier child. Children that are cared for by providers participating in the CACFP benefit by being fed nutritious meals that ensure their proper development while gaining early nutrition education to help establish positive eating habits for a lifetime.

Parents are assured that their children receive high quality meals. With proper nutrition, the child is less likely to experience illness and fatigue and will develop at a normal physical and intellectual pace.

Providers receive nutrition education and support services from their CACFP sponsor that help them serve nutritious meals and create a positive eating environment for children. The quality of childcare provided in our community is improved due to educational and financial resources available to caregivers through the CACFP.

Catholic Charities CACFP program supports 223 home providers

and 29 centers, serving more than 75,000 meals

to over 3,100 children each month.

To make an online donation, click here. Designate your gift to Food Assistance.

To learn more about Catholic Charities and CACFP, click here.

Share Your CACFP Story!

March 11, 2024

2pm - 2:30pm

Share your story and hear other stories from the CACFP child caregivers in your community! Stay informed as you learn tips about CACPF-supported accomplishments regarding child nutrition.

Catholic Charities Awarded $7,000 from Maryland Food Bank

The Maryland Food Bank awarded Catholic Charities a $7,000 Food First Capacity Grant to address ongoing food storage issues at the Seton Center. The grant will support the acquisition of an enclosed trailer that will primarily be used to store non-perishable food items while the food in the Seton Center’s food pantry is rotated and distributed. The trailer will also be used to assist with large donation pickups.

“Catholic Charities is grateful for the $7,000 grant provided by the Maryland Food Bank.

This award will allow Catholic Charities to better meet the needs of our food insecure neighbors

and extend services where residents face limited access to nutritional support.”

— Samantha Wallace

Board Member and Interim Executive Director of Catholic Charities

The short-term goal for this initiative is to allow the Seton Center to benefit from larger donations. Because of the current capacity limitations, Catholic Charities is restricted in its ability to pick up and store items, making it impossible to accept all the donations available. The funding from the Maryland Food Bank will provide needed space for storage, which will allow Catholic Charities to address the growing need for food more effectively.

The long-term goal for the project is to increase Catholic Charities’ ability to offer expanded food options through the CHOICE program. Additionally, the trailer will increase the overall amount of food available for distribution, enabling Catholic Charities to serve Crisfield on a monthly basis. The grant will allow Catholic Charities to reach Crisfield residents who lack private transportation or are otherwise unable to travel to the Seton Center. The grant also offers the potential to purchase wheeled carts to replace current carts, which need frequent repairs because of their age and the demands of constant usage.

February is Random Acts

of Kindness Month

A Random Act of Kindness is a non-premeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness toward the outside world. Random Acts of Kindness are often considered as vehicles of change. That is because they may not be able to influence the whole world, but they do make somebody’s life a whole lot better. Random Acts of Kindness make the world a little bit brighter and can have a ripple effect!

For stories, quotes and activities regarding Random Acts of Kindness, click here.

Thank You to All Our Supporters & Partners!

We Appreciate the following Catholic Charities Partners

Rocco and Mary Abessinio, Applied Bank, Delaware Community Foundation, Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), Catholic Charities USA, Citizens Bank, Community Foundation of Eastern Shore, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB), Highmark Delaware Fund of the Delaware Community Foundation, Laffey-McHugh Foundation, Raskob Foundation, Somerset County Commissioners, State of Delaware - DSCYF, United Way of Delaware, and United Way of Lower Eastern Shore.

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.

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

501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization