First and foremost, we pray that you and your family and friends are healthy and safe. The world around us has changed in ways that virtually none of us have experienced before in our lifetimes. You might be working remotely, socializing through video conference or seeing family members through glass doors or outside on opposite sides of a table (at least six feet apart). During such extreme uncertainty, people might turn to faith, to family, to meditation or to other places for strength. But for many local families, it is Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland (CCCSR) that they turn to during their time of need. And it is you that we must turn to for help so that we can “meet the need.”
“I really appreciate the help, and the courtesy…I can’t think of what I would have done without your services. I had no food in the house for my family. Muchas gracias para su ayuda…” stated Carolina, a past participant who returned to us for help after she had lost her job and was then hospitalized for three weeks with the coronavirus.
You might have noticed our new tagline at the top of this letter –“The Warm Heart of Rockland – Preserving dignity for all our neighbors through shelter, food, and emergency support.”
This captures the essence of Catholic Charities in Rockland – welcoming, compassionate, caring and helpful. It means that our deeply caring staff responds to the needs of the most vulnerable residents of our County helping them with the basic necessities of life: food, shelter and other emergency assistance.
According to Mariela, an older adult participant, “It warms my heart to know that the staff of CCCSR cares about me. Thank you so much for caring.”
“Thank you CCCSR and staff. May God continue to bless you. I don’t know how we would manage without you.” ~ Lourdes H.
Now more than ever, the people of Rockland are counting on us. Since April, over 200 new families came to receive food from our Food Pantry for the first time. On top of that, the number of calls for rental assistance more than doubled from an average of six per week to over 12; all this while we are still under the moratorium on evictions.
Many families struggle to keep food on the table. The CCCSR Food Pantry continues to be open three days each week, alternating afternoons, evenings and weekends to maximize the ability of families to participate. Over 1,000 families utilize our Food Pantry with over 100,000 meals provided each year. Our pantry is unique as we provide over 6,000 pounds of fresh produce to our participants through donations from a local farm as well as our own fresh produce
grown in our Community Garden of Love.
Did you know that 14.7% of area households live below the poverty line? And that over 50% of Rockland families earn less than the “living wage” – your neighbor could be one of the many families coming to Catholic Charities for support – and you might not even know it!
Do you have room in your heart to help your neighbors make it through this crisis?
It’s easy to do your part. Simply click here to donate immediately on line. Your donation will help us to feed our neighbors and help families remain safely in their homes.
Bless you and thank you for your support!
Joan Facelle Daniel Eudene
Board Chair Executive Director
