As the season of Lent begins, the Archdiocese of New York in conjunction with Catholic Charities is launching a Lenten Appeal to remind the community at large that this is a time to give to those in need. Lent gives each person the opportunity to support those who are struggling and to make a positive impact through acts of kindness and generosity. The Archdiocesan Lenten Appeal calls for volunteering, donating and helping those in need to seek help.
During Lent, Catholic Charities continues to provide food to migrants and those in need and the organization needs the help of the community!
As the city’s social services become scarce, Catholic Charities continues to step up humanitarian aid through its network of food pantries. More than 40,000 asylum seekers have arrived since last year, many from Latin America. Catholic Charities has responded by providing emergency meals through its extensive network of food pantries throughout the city to approximately 100,000 asylum seekers.
Catholic Charities agencies have become the first places people go when they need food. His agencies also support parishes that have established reception centers for immigrants and oversees many facilities that serve them. The organization has bilingual staff in the different pantries to help communities with large Latino populations.
Catholic Charities supports a network of 40 food pantries in the New York area with a staff of 200 volunteers. These pantries provide five to six million meals to those in need each year. During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization stepped up its efforts to provide more than 11 million meals.
The cost of food has skyrocketed in recent months and the funds that people have available for food are not enough. More and more people are turning to Catholic Charities food pantries for help. The Archdiocese of New York and Catholic Charities invite all people of good will to help those in need during Lent. Everyone is welcome to the different programs and activities that will take place in all the parishes of the archdiocese and in Catholic Charities. For more information, please visit your local parish website. To donate, volunteer, or seek help, visit: https://catholiccharitiesny.org or call the Catholic Charities Helpline at 888-744-7900 for more information.
Teresa A. Santiago is a consultant, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York