Catholic Charities of Louisville bases its outreach on the tenets of Catholic social teaching. And although that can be heady stuff for elementary school children to understand, one of the charities’ engagement coordinators has figured out a way to level with them.
“Catholic social teaching lays the foundation to describe what we do,” said Peyton Rhea, Catholic Charities parish and schools engagement coordinator. “Everything we do is in some way based in Catholic social teaching.”
He explained it to second graders at Our Lady of Lourdes School by breaking it down into each word: What is Catholic, what is social, what is teaching.
“The conversation ended in them saying, ‘Jesus tells us to be good to people and you guys are being good to people.’ ”
To wrap up the lesson, Rhea talked about Presents with a Purpose, Catholic Charities’ gift giveaway that benefits their clients who need help during the holidays.
Those second graders decided to make Christmas cards for families assisted by Catholic Charities, and the entire school held a gift drive to donate Christmas presents to the initiative.
“We collected so many toys and different things,” said vice principal Deanna Askin. “Dolls to dinosaurs, games, art kits, puzzles, Barbies, stuffed animals, a really good variety of things. I was really pleased.”
Our Lady of Lourdes school and church both collected items for Presents with a Purpose, along with more than 20 groups.
In addition to toys, Catholic Charities is giving away clothing, sporting equipment, hygiene products and more than $10,000 in gift cards this week. About 200 families have been invited to the agency’s St. Anthony campus on West Market Street where the donations are set up for families to shop for the gifts that best suit their children.
In the Shelby Park neighborhood, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul hosted its 27th annual Santa Shop on Dec. 10. This year’s Santa Shop was the biggest in SVDP history, according to the society’s volunteer services coordinator.
The Santa Shop, arranged like a store for parents to shop for their children and loved ones, was set up in the society’s Family Success Center gymnasium. Last year the shop provided gifts for more than 700 individuals. This year that number reached 873, according to Donna Young, conferences and volunteer services coordinator. More than 500 volunteers assisted with sorting donations, setting up the shop and helping clients pick out gifts.
More than 650 coats and 434 pairs of pajamas were donated. Toys filled one wall of the gym.
“We had hardly nothing left,” Young said. “We still had some toys left but everyone left happy. Everyone was appreciative, that’s the nicest thing.”
In the city’s east end, the annual Youth for Food collection gathered “stuff people can use in everyday life” to donate to Eastern Area Community Ministries. Members of St. Bernadette Church and Watkins United Methodist Church worked with scouts, youth from St. Mary Academy, Ballard High School, Trinity High School, Mercy Academy and folks in the community to canvas area neighborhoods.
Michelle Schofield, a St. Bernadette parishioner who coordinates Youth for Food, said this year’s collection brought in 10,700 food items, which is about the same as last year. She said the EACM’s executive director was “insanely appreciative” of the donation because “in her words, things were getting desperate.”
“We’re so very thankful we can help,” Schofield said in a recent interview. “It’s one of those things that makes you feel good because you’re helping someone else. We don’t know who our hungry neighbor is — it could be anyone — and we were able to help with hunger. And that right there is a corporal work of mercy.”
We don’t know who our hungry neighbor is — it could be anyone — and we were able to help with hunger. And that right there is a corporal work of mercy.”
Michelle Schofield
