At Catholic Charities Dallas, we know from experience that even the smallest act of true generosity can change a life. Our clients’ incredible stories are proof of the impact generosity has on the lives of individuals, families, and our entire community.
Syrian refugee family receives household items from Amazon
Welcoming those in need
New partnership with Amazon delivering smiles
Thanks to a generous donation of $12,500 from Amazon, the Refugee Services pre-arrival case manager can now order directly from Amazon to furnish clients’ apartments. These items are delivered to apartments at a pre-arranged time, allowing us to organize staff and volunteers to help unpack and set up apartments for our newly arrived clients. This is a great initiative as we can provide brand-new items to clients in a very efficient way!
Refugee Services is collaborating with Amazon to provide Afghan evacuees and refugees with complete apartment setups. Our work to resettle clients from last year’s evacuation from Afghanistan will continue through the end of September. We are also serving many refugee clients from Eritrea, Somalia, Syria, and Burma.
Our Refugee Services team works to make the resettlement process as smooth as possible for these clients by sourcing safe and affordable housing and securing essential household items such as pots and pans, kitchen utensils, and furniture. These items help our clients feel at home and give them a sense of ownership and pride.
Refugee Services welcomes first wave of Ukrainian clients
Ukrainians who have fled their home country due to the present wartime violence are now eligible for services within our Refugee Services department. We have recently begun serving Ukrainian clients through personalized case management, refugee cash assistance, education, and medical assistance programs.
Many of our Ukrainian clients come to us after traveling through various European and South and Central American countries, similar to the Cuban and Haitian clients we serve. These families and individuals endure much before even reaching the United States and are both exhausted and relieved when they are finally settled in a safe home.
A great way to assist our Ukrainian clients, as well as the other populations we serve, is to give through our Amazon wish list or make a monetary donation using the button below. These items and donations go directly to clients as they wait, often for long periods of time, for their state public benefits to become effective. Your generous gift will make a lasting impact on a family in need.
Summer camp 2022
Educating children and their parents
Summer camp finishes with exceptional results
Each summer, our Educational Services team hosts a summer camp at the Cardinal Farrell Community Center. This camp is an 8-week enrichment and academic support program serving up to 155 parents and students in kindergarten through 7th grade.
During their time at camp, students engage in educational activities focused on developing strong reading skills, in addition to building water safety and swimming skills through our partnership with the YMCA. When asked what their favorite part of summer camp was, many children mentioned how much they loved swimming in the pool.
Parents enrolled in our Together We Read adult literacy program with daily summer reading lessons to become proficient in English. Through this program, parents are trained to be essential reading coaches in the home and learn the value of reading with their children. Parents also enjoyed some time in the pool by participating in water safety and swimming lessons.
Our summer campers also experienced weekly hands-on science and engineering activities through our amazing partnership with the Perot Museum.
At the end of summer camp, the majority of parents and students demonstrated stronger reading skills and had a deeper appreciation for learning together. Congratulations to our parents, students, and the Educational Services team for their hard work!
Summer camp 2022 impact
Our food trucks and container pantry provide meals across North Texas
Expanding our food distribution
Fifth mobile food pantry truck in the making
“One driver, one truck, thousands served.”
This is the mantra of our Hunger Services team, which they fulfill every day.
Our four mobile food trucks are currently serving at full capacity in partnership with 93 entities across the nine counties of the Diocese of Dallas. During the 2022 fiscal year, our Hunger Services team distributed a total of 5,025,391 meals to 37,275 families across North Texas.
We are proud to announce that we will be adding a fifth mobile food truck in partnership with North Texas Food Bank, which will allow us to distribute meals at an additional 32 mobile food drops per month and will elevate our service capacity to over eight million meals for families in need across North Texas.
Over in Ennis, families are able to visit our container pantry and hand-pick their groceries. Due to the success of the Ennis container pantry, which opened in November of 2021, Hunger Services has developed a reputable presence in Ellis County and has been able to assist an even greater number of families in need. Our team is currently exploring the possibility of adding a second container pantry to the fleet in order to reach even more families in need.
The Hunger Services team works efficiently and with incredible results to eliminate hunger in North Texas. However, this operation does not come without significant cost, amounting to over $1.2 million dollars per year to sustain the hunger program. We are so grateful for our many generous donors who help cover this cost so that families in need may have access to the fresh pantry items they desperately need.
If you would like to make a contribution to the hunger program, you can sign up for one of our many opportunities for volunteerism or make a monetary donation. Your gift impacts families across North Texas by providing them with food security and hope.
Your generosity makes an impact
Thank you to all who recently contributed to our Disaster program! Together, we raised thousands of dollars, which will be used to replace the furniture of those whose apartments were damaged in the recent fires. Because of your generosity, our clients will be able to regain what they lost through this disaster.
On the horizon
As a large-scale social service agency, Catholic Charities is leading new and exciting projects to bring greater impact to the most vulnerable populations of our community. Stay tuned for more information on these upcoming campaigns and events:
- North Texas Giving Day
- Support Catholic Charities Dallas on September 22 or throughout the month of September by participating in North Texas Giving Day! Early giving opens TODAY! Visit northtexasgivingday.org/ccdallas to give with purpose and make an impact.
- Breakfast with the Bishop
- Our men’s auxiliary group, the Archangels Men’s Network, is hosting their annual Breakfast with the Bishop on Thursday, September 29. Visit ccdallas.org/breakfast for more information.
- Hope for the Holidays – November 10, 2022
- Save the date for our annual Hope for the Holidays fundraiser event, hosted by the Angels of Charity. More details coming soon.
- 25th Annual Bishop’s Gala
- Join us on January 21, 2023, for an incredible night supporting so many in need. For sponsorship opportunities, tickets, and event details, please visit ccdallas.org/gala2023.
When we see Christ in our brothers and sisters in need, this is where the power of generosity begins. We recall the words of Christ,
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
At Catholic Charities Dallas, we witness the life-changing power of generosity every day. The contagious excitement of a young refugee family as they receive items that transform their new house into a home. The smile on the face of a child as they learn to read alongside their parents. The relief in the eyes of a person who no longer needs to worry about what they will eat that day. Although it looks a bit different each time, the impact of generosity is undeniably present in every one of these lives. We hope these stories of the transformative power of generosity within our community resonate with you and encourage you to join us in serving, educating, and empowering all those in need. Your generosity is what makes our work possible!
