Catholic Charities’ staff and volunteers improve the lives of people across 46 counties in western North Carolina through their work at locations in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Lenoir, Murphy, North Wilkesboro and Winston-Salem. (File photo)
CHARLOTTE — For more than seven decades, hundreds of thousands of people have found help and hope thanks to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
As it launches its 75th anniversary celebrations during Catholic Charities Week (April 28-May 4), Catholic Charities continues to inspire hope and advance the Church’s mission of serving the most vulnerable among us with more than two dozen specialized services – from weekly food pantries, to help for homeless veterans and pregnant women in need, to refugee resettlement, to mental health counseling, to social advocacy and more.
Catholic Charities’ work impacts the 46 counties of the diocese through its strategic locations in Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Lenoir, North Wilkesboro, Asheville and Murphy. In the past year alone, the agency served nearly 23,000 people, distributing over 600,000 pounds of food and aiding nearly 900 refugees. Numerous other highlights are detailed on pages 18 and 19.
“Catholic Charities exists because of the dedicated efforts and sacrifices of thousands of volunteers, donors and staff over the past seven decades,” says Executive Director Gerard Carter. “Our commitment today is to continue that legacy of authentic, charitable ministry by living out our passion statement: ‘The love of Christ impels us to serve our neighbors in need – we cannot do otherwise.’”
ROOTED IN CHARITY
Catholic Charities’ roots were planted in 1948, when Raleigh Bishop Vincent Waters founded the first Bureau of Catholic Charities to provide social services and assistance across all of North Carolina.
Within a year, sisters from the Missionary Servants of the Blessed Trinity (MSBT) opened a Charlotte branch to provide pregnancy support, maternity care, foster care and adoption services to people living in the western half of the state. In those early years, the agency also helped resettle more than 1,900 refugees from war-torn Europe after World War II.
When the Diocese of Charlotte was carved out of the statewide Diocese of Raleigh in 1972, a new chapter in Catholic Charities’ history began with Charlotte Bishop Michael Begley, an ardent advocate and supporter of Catholic Charities. Under his leadership, the Charlotte bureau was transformed into a full-fledged Catholic Social Services agency for the new diocese.
The agency quickly grew thanks to Bishop Begley’s support and the hard work of the MSBT sisters, who opened a Western Office in Asheville in 1982 and a Piedmont Triad Office in Winston-Salem in 1983.
Elizabeth Thurbee, the first layperson to run the agency’s adoption program, later led the agency until her retirement in 2010. She oversaw Catholic Charities’ expansion to encompass food pantries, burial assistance for the poor, counseling, refugee resettlement and elder ministry programs.
SERVING IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
As North Carolina’s population soared during the 1990s and 2000s, the need for social services also grew, and Catholic Social Services was there to help – expanding its outreach even further and, in 2013, renaming the agency to Catholic Charities.
Since then, Catholic Charities has continued responding to the shifting needs of a growing population, mounting economic inequalities, and lingering impacts of the global pandemic. Now the agency has even more ways to help people living on the margins – including legal immigration and translation assistance, citizenship training, help for pregnant women in need and youth in crisis (particularly teenage moms), environmental advocacy, human trafficking awareness, support services for veterans, mentoring for at-risk college students, and emergency help with rent and utility bills.
Its continued mission? To lift people out of poverty, strengthen families and build communities – serving all of God’s people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or socioeconomic background.
“At Catholic Charities, we are dedicated to meeting the changing needs of our community,” says David Long, Catholic Charities’ spokesperson. “That’s why we continue to expand our infrastructure and services, driven by our history of charitable outreach rooted in the Church. We are honored to serve our community with love, compassion and dignity, and we are committed to fulfilling the Church’s mission to uplift those in need. Our work continues as long as there are people in need.”
— Catholic News Herald
Celebrating 75 years of charity
As Catholic Charities celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024, the Catholic News Herald is launching a special series showcasing the many ways that Catholic Charities impacts the lives of thousands of people across our diocese – strengthening families, building communities and reducing poverty.
Over the coming months, we invite you to learn more about how Catholic Charities puts into practice the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. We hope you are inspired to join the mission, sharing the love of Christ with your neighbors in need. Go to www.ccdoc.org/volunteer to learn more about how you can get involved.
How can you help?
Financial donations to enable Catholic Charities to assist participants and buy food are an effective way to help serve people in need. Make donations online at www.ccdoc.org or by mail to: Catholic Charities, Central Processing, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203-4003.
Need assistance?
Catholic Charities offers services to people across western North Carolina. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or reach out to your local Catholic Charities office:
Asheville: 828-255-0146
Charlotte: 704-370-3262
Greensboro: 336-288-1984
Lenoir: 828-434-5710
Murphy: 828-835-3535
North Wilkesboro: 828-434-5710
Winston-Salem: 336-727-0705
People who need assistance can also call 2-1-1 to find up-to-date information on available community services that may be available. 2-1-1 helps connect people to information about local food pantries, medical resources and possible changes to government benefits.
Services offered
Catholic Charities assists individuals and families in need by distributing food and clothing and providing homelessness prevention, family enrichment, refugee resettlement and immigration, burial assistance and more.
All services are provided either free of charge or on a sliding scale, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.
BASIC NEEDS
- Food and Clothing Assistance
- Transition Out of Poverty Program
- Services for Homeless Veterans
- Mental Health Counseling
- Burial Assistance
- Disaster Relief
FAMILY & YOUTH SERVICES
- Pregnancy Support
- Adoption Referral Services
- Runaway and Homeless Youth
- Elder Ministry
ADULT EDUCATION
- Stay the Course Program
IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES
- Immigration and Citizenship
- Refugee Resettlement
- After-School and Summer Programs for Refugee Children
SOCIAL CONCERNS & ADVOCACY
- Social Concerns and Advocacy
- Catholic Social Teaching
- Education
- Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Catholic Relief Services
- Public Policy
- Care of Creation
Endowments benefit Catholic Charities and its vital work throughout the Diocese of Charlotte
- FFHL Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Endowment Fund: Established through the diocese-wide “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign and provides general financial support for Catholic Charities.
- Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: Provides for the general needs of Catholic Charities across the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Catholic Charities Asheville Endowment Fund: Provides for the general needs of this ministry in Asheville.
- Catholic Charities Burial Assistance Endowment Fund: Provides for the burial assistance program.
- Catholic Charities Charlotte Endowment Fund: Provides for the general needs of this ministry in Charlotte.
- Catholic Charities Refugee Endowment Fund: Provides for the general needs of this ministry across the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Catholic Charities Winston-Salem Endowment Fund: Provides for the general needs of this ministry in Winston-Salem.
- Beatrice A. Chase Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest and provides general financial support for Catholic Charities.
- Maureen Reinehr Gigler Endowment Fund
- Elizabeth Grace Endowment Fund: Provides for the programmatic needs of Catholic Charities.
- Aurelia I. Guffey Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest and provides for the programmatic needs of Catholic Charities.
- Peter J. and Catherine P. Hickey Endowment Fund: Provides for the adoption programs of Catholic Charities.
- Lawrence and Patricia Hollett Family Endowment Fund
- Robert H. Moeller Memorial Endowment Fund: Provides housing-related financial assistance for the elderly across the Diocese of Charlotte.
- John S. Monahan Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest and provides for Catholic Charities’ general needs.
- John and Marlene Olenick Endowment Fund: Supports the pregnancy support services of Catholic Charities in the Piedmont Triad.
- George and Jane Pfaff Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest and provides for Catholic Charities’ program needs.
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Philippine Heritage Endowment Fund: Provides for the unrestricted general needs and for refugee/immigrant assistance by Catholic Charities in Charlotte.
- Sarmiento-Lang Family Endowment Fund: Provides for pregnancy support services at Catholic Charities across the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Lee and Allan Thurbee Memorial Endowment Fund: Provides financial support for Catholic Charities’ work in the Diocese of Charlotte.
- n Kathleen A. Troy Memorial Endowment Fund
