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Upcoming Events:
1. Drive Collects Nearly 300 Suitcases for Area Foster Children St. Ambrose Youth Group in Godfrey recently conducted a suitcase drive to benefit the children in foster care with Madison County Catholic Charities. The idea for the drive originated from a radio talk-show at WBGZ radio station in Alton regarding the statewide Foster Kids Are Our Kids campaign – a public service campaign to educate the general population about the rewards and challenges of foster care.
Recognizing that being a foster parent is a calling that isn’t for everyone, Catholic Charities Foster Home Licensing representative Carolyn Yinger suggested that one way to help foster children is by donating a suitcase. In most instances, children come into foster care with only a few belongings – all of which are transported in a trash bag. Having to carry all they own in a trash bag inadvertently sends foster children the message that they (and their belongings) are merely trash. The simple gift of a suitcase sends the exact opposite message: “You are valuable, and so are your possessions.” Having a suitcase helps provide foster children with a sense of dignity they richly deserve, but often don’t find during their stay in foster care. WBGZ radio personality Mark Hollibrook was responsible for organizing the drive, which brought in nearly 300 suitcases that were distributed to area foster children. Donating a suitcase may seem like an insignificant contribution, but the reaction of one foster child upon receiving his suitcase tells a different story: “You mean it’s mine? I really get to keep it forever? I don’t have to carry my stuff around in those black trash bags anymore?” Operated out of three branch offices in the Diocese (Alton, Effingham and Springfield), Catholic Charities provides foster care services to more than 200 children. There is always a need for suitcases. Others who would like to donate a suitcase or simply learn more about how they can help children in foster care can do so by contacting their local Catholic Charities Office or by visiting the agency’s website at: www.cc.dio.org. 2. Thrifty Threads Etc. Opens in Edwardsville The Thrifty Threads Etc. resale store is a division of Madison County Catholic Charities, and offers quality clothing and household items at a low cost. A voucher program is also in place at the location to allow people with referrals from other charitable organizations to obtain free items from the store.
The store is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Donations are accepted during business hours only, although home pickups by store staff of donated items may be arranged by calling the store at 618-307-5420. Maureen Robinson, director of Madison County Catholic Charities, said that the Edwardsville location will soon offer other programs, including the MedAssist pharmaceutical assistance program and the Professional Counseling Solutions marriage and family counseling program. Madison County Catholic Charities also serves clients at its Alton location at 3512 Macarthur Blvd., and its Granite City location at 2105 State Street. The Alton office provides a food pantry and foster care, counseling, and MedAssist services, while the Granite City office provides financial assistance, counseling and MedAssist services. Robinson said future plans for the new Edwardsville site include adding a financial assistance program to aid those in crisis situations with issues such as rent payments, utility payments, emergency lodging and transportation, medical emergencies and employment emergencies. 3. SS Peter & Paul in Alton Donated 4073 Pounds of Food to the Guardian Angel Pantry Reprinted from The Telegraph, November 20, 2007 Food Pantry Donations The Telegraph/John Badman ALTON — Students at Saints Peter and Paul School in Alton have collected more than 3,000 pounds of food during the last two weeks for donation to the Guardian Angel Pantry at Catholic Charities in Alton.
Hannah Velloff, 13, right, pulled a large box full of canned goods outside Tuesday in preparation for pick-up by the pantry. Fellow students Hannah Pellegrino, 12, left, and Emma Snider, 12, center, helped. 4. Local Schools Participate in Madison County Catholic Charities Food Drive
Alton Catholic schools took part in a weeklong effort to help needy local residents. During the week of April 16, 2007, students from St. Mary’s, SS. Peter & Paul, St. Ambrose, Marquette Catholic High School, and Gilson Brown Elementary collected more than 1,500 pounds of food and personal care items to help stock the Catholic Charities’ Guardian Angel Food Pantry during the summer months when donations are at their lowest. “We are very grateful to the schools, students and our community for all their help and support, ”said Jan Manns, Community Services Supervisor of Madison County Catholic Charities. “This program helps Catholic Charities fulfill its mission to provide services to the poor and those in crisis situations and people of all faiths are welcomed at our doors.” The Guardian Angel Food Pantry located at the Alton Office of Madison County Catholic Charities provides a 3-4 week supply of food and personal care items to individuals in need who are referred to Catholic Charities from local churches and social service agencies. In 2006, more than 2,300 people were provided assistance through the local pantry operation. Volunteers perform the majority of the work including collecting, stocking and distributing donations from the community. The Guardian Angel Food Pantry is located at 3512 McArthur Blvd. in Alton and is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The fact that the demand for this program continues to grow underscores the significant and increasing threat of poverty in our midst,” said Maureen Robinson, Area Director of Madison County Catholic Charities. “There are currently over 37 million people living in poverty in the United States. Almost two-thirds of those families include one or more members who are employed, and yet still basic needs cannot be met. Catholic Charities will continue to assist and advocate for those who do not have a voice in our society.” 5. Alton Catholic Charities Office Manager Helen Cresswell Celebrates 40 Years With Agency Helen Cresswell, office manager of the Alton Catholic Charities Office, recently celebrated her 40th anniversary with the agency. Helen, pictured below, is the longest-serving employee at the agency, and was honored with a reception and a plaque.
6. Don’t Know What to Do With Your Old Clothes? Don’t Want to Have a Garage Sale?
Catholic Charities has teamed up with MPS to raise funds through a collection of used clothing. MPS provides a clothing drop box at several local sites to offer individuals in our community another great opportunity to help support the programming at Catholic Charities. 7. MedAssist Program Receives Two Generous Donations
Granite City Catholic Charities is the recipient of generous contributions from two community groups to support the agency's MedAssist program. St. Elizabeth's Health Foundation in Granite City awarded $4,000 to the program in December and the Ladies' Auxiliary of Gateway Regional Medical Center, Granite City's 400+ bed hospital, provided $4,000 last fall. Both donations will enable the Granite City office to serve the prescription needs of residents in Madison County. We are appreciative of this generous support of these two fine organizations. For more information on MedAssist, please click here.
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