Catholic Charities a faithful example of the ‘Good Samaritan’ parable
Lately when Oak Forest resident Carol Herrera drives to the Catholic Charities drive-thru food pantry, east of downtown, she is greeted by a line of waiting cars.
“The need has increased,” Herrera said. “A lot of people have lost their jobs, or they’ve been furloughed.”
Herrera starts working right away.
“I get ready to go, get all of the bags ready to distribute, and we get going,” she said.
She volunteers two or three times a week. If she’s not loading food into vehicles, she’s distributing diapers and formula for the Blessed Beginnings program to support families in need. Though the recipients are quick to thank Herrera for the donated goods, she explains that she already feels blessed to help.
“I see their eyes light up,” she said. “It really does make a difference.”
Herrera started volunteering with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston after Hurricane Harvey struck. She had just retired after three decades of working for the city of Houston.
“It was almost perfect timing,” she said. “I can’t think of a better way to use my time than to volunteer to help others with Catholic Charities. Rain or shine, we’re out there.”
Helping in the aftermath of the hurricane is similar to serving people today, she said. The families in line for food often need help connecting to other resources and services offered by the nonprofit. Catholic Charities is still providing relief from Harvey, and President Cynthia Colbert expects the pandemic will lead to similarly long relief efforts.
“I believe in the resilience of Houston,” Colbert said. “Houston is a very generous community. We continue to support and encourage and not forget the least among us.”
Hurricane Harvey provided important lessons. “We know what we have done in the past, and that helps inform the future,” Colbert added.
When the pandemic began, Catholic Charities set up a call center, as it has done with other disasters. The organization fielded nearly 15,000 hotline calls: 70 percent reported needing rent assistance; 23 percent were concerned about food; and 9 percent asked for help with utility bills.
Knowing where the most need was helped direct the course of action for Catholic Charities, which redirected funds and applied for grants to provide $1.5 million to 1,513 households.
“We’re also looking for opportunities to partner and obtain contracts to serve many more,” Colbert said. “The need is not going away.”
To address the need for food, Catholic Charities developed a touchless, drive-thru food pantry. More than 112,000 meals have been distributed, serving 200 children a week.
“We’ve distributed more than 3 million pounds of food,” Colbert said. “The lines don’t go down. People continue to be out of work.”
She explained that the organization was particularly concerned about elderly clients, who often depend on its community centers for meals and activities. Case managers began checking in with older clients regularly by phone.
Catholic Charities also established a home program, for seniors who could not leave their homes safely, as well as young families, refugees and individuals without transportation. Already, there have been 5,378 deliveries.
The nonprofit also continued to offer its services, such as immigration legal counseling, by phone. There are classes on Zoom and webinars to help families.
“As much as possible, we’re getting everything up and running — and making sure we do more,” Colbert said. “Like many nonprofits, we were probably behind on our use of technology. This has forced us, in a good way, to use technology to reach the most people.”
After COVID-19, Colbert envisions resuming in-person programs but retaining virtual options. In the meantime, the nonprofit continues to work to meet as many needs as possible.
Colbert likes to compare the services offered by Catholic Charities to the parable of the Good Samaritan told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. The Samaritan crosses paths with a traveler who is beaten and left for dead on a roadside, offering to help him, when others had simply passed him by.
“We’re called to be the good Samaritan in a new way,” Colbert said. “We see a lot of people on the path, and we’re called to help our brothers and sisters in need. And there are people in need now who never asked for help before.”
Already, 90 percent of Catholic Charities’ clients are at the federal poverty line or below. There are seniors, single parents, veterans, immigrants, refugees, struggling families and individuals. Donations are critical to ensure the effort can continue, she explained. Individuals can donate online and earmark it for a specific program or make an unrestricted gift.
“The Good Samaritan didn’t just provide aid and go. He came back,” Colbert said. “We also follow up. We’re called to be the hands and feet of Christ to the people who need us.”
The mission of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is to bring help and hope to people in need, focusing on the poor and vulnerable.
Each year, more than 100,000 people of all faiths are served by the organization’s programs in Harris, Fort Bend and Galveston counties.
“We are people of faith — faith in one another, faith in people we serve, faith in their lives and dreams,” Colbert said. “Every single person on the face of this Earth has the right to live with dignity. The question remains, how can Catholic Charities help when dignity is stripped away?”
The answer, she explained, is to find their dreams and talents, to improve their health, to provide educational programs and resources.
“And that won’t change,” Colbert said.