By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer
Hundreds of children and families have brighter smiles this Christmas season thanks to numerous parishes, agencies and organizations in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Catholic Charities’ Sister Visitor Center, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the St. Nick Fund — to name a few -— collected thousands of presents and clothes and distributed them to families in need over the last couple of weeks.
Sister Michele Intravia, director of the Sister Visitor Center said the emergency assistance program — that serves residents in the Portland, Shawnee and Russell neighborhoods of West Louisville — provided Christmas presents for 250 to 300 children from 150 families.
In addition to that number, another seven families who were identified as the most needy were sponsored by agencies and others in the archdiocese. These families received toys, clothing and household items, including laundry detergent and dish soap. A full Christmas meal was also provided to these seven families, Sister Intravia said.
Christmas gifts were not the only thing the children received, Sister Intravia said. For the first two weeks of December, parents who came to the Sister Visitor Center, 2235 West Market Street, were able to select new clothing, coats, hats, underwear and socks. Families were also able to pick up new towels and sheets. While they selected winter
wear, parents also created Christmas wish lists for their children.
Sister Intravia said it was important to her and the staff at Sister Visitor to provide new items to people in need.
“For many, it’s the first time they’ll be able to unwrap a gift or have new clothing,” she said in an interview last week at Catholic Charities’ Market Street location. “We would like to give dignity to those we serve.”
Sister Intravia noted the number of children and families helped has decreased compared to recent years. The number of requests did not decrease, she said, but Sister Visitor staff were more “prudent in how families were selected” so those who were most in need could be served. Last year, the aid organization provided toys for 1,000 children from 250 families.
Many of the new toys the children received from Sister Visitor were donated by parishes, and Sister Intravia said the annual toy drive would not be possible without the support of parishes and parish volunteers.
The rest of the toys came from Toys for Tots, which for the first time in Louisville was able to provide new bicycles for children through a donation made by country-music singer Garth Brooks. Brooks donated 1,030 bikes to Q103.1, a local country music station that held a bicycle fundraiser for Toys for Tots.
St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul held its annual Santa Shop Dec. 11 at its Family Success Center, 1029 S. Preston Street. Parents in need were able to select Christmas presents for their children at the event. The shop provided toys for 504 families, including about 1,566 children
Eighty-one of those families, who have a combined 504 children, were referred to St. Vincent de Paul through a partnership with the Catholic Education Fund.
Ed Wnorowski, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said in a statement that while the economy has improved, it has not “significantly benefitted those living at the poverty level.”
“Living in poverty leaves little to nothing for Christmas. St. Vincent de Paul’s Santa Shop provides not just a toy or two, but a considerable amount of basic clothing, including a winter coat for each child,” he said.
About 250 volunteers assisted families at the Dec. 11 event.
The St. Nick Fund
The St. Nick Fund — a charity organized by parishioners of St. Edward Church — served about 800 kids from 675 families, said Cynthia Moore, one of the fund’s organizers.
The fund began in 2005 in Edmonson County, Ky., by David Bohn to help a struggling family at Christmas. Bohn later moved to Jefferson County and brought the charity with him.
Moore and Bohn raise money for the fund by providing DJ services at numerous events throughout the year. They donate 100 percent of their proceeds to the fund. They also secure donations from corporate sponsors and private donors, including parishioners of St. Edward. In all, about $30,000 was collected this year.
Volunteers met at the Jeffersontown Target on Dec. 11 to shop for the gifts.
“We try to do anything we can to involve everybody. We don’t just want them to give money and say ‘see you later.’ That’s not what it’s about. We want them to be involved,” Moore said.
The names of children and families are provided to the St. Nick Fund by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Jeffersontown Area Ministries and St. Edward Church. For the last few years, Moore said, the fund has also assisted children at Maryhurst and Brooklawn Child and Family Services.
Families provide wish lists, which include gender, ages, sizes and what the children would like for Christmas, Moore said.
Students at St. Edward School are also involved, Moore said. Fifty-one St. Edward students accompanied Moore and Bohn to Wheatley Elementary School, 1107 S. 17th Street, on Dec. 15 to deliver presents to the school’s 380 kids.
“I hope they (St. Edward students) appreciate the meaning of Christmas and it’s not just about getting gifts,” she said. “I hope it teaches them it’s just as important to give as it is to receive.”
