349 Receive “Cozy Bundles” Refugees Welcomed Home
This edition of Community Spirit is full of stories of transformed lives. Your support made it all possible. We appreciate you!
Are you ready to help make a positive impact in the lives of others and strengthen your community? Share your time and talents by becoming a volunteer for Catholic Charities. There are many different ways to serve your brothers and sisters at each of our locations. Visit ccdoc.org/volunteer or scan the QR code to the right to learn how you can get involved.
Locations
Charlotte 1123 S. Church St.
Charlotte, NC 28203
P 704.370.3262
F 704.370.3290
Asheville 50 Orange St. Asheville, NC 28801
P 828.255.0146
F 828.253.7339
Lenoir 328-B Woodsway Ln. NW Lenoir, NC 28645-4356
P 828.434.5710
Murphy 27 Hatchett St.
Murphy, NC 28906
P 828.835.3535
F 828.835.9794
Greensboro 2311 W. Cone Blvd. Suite 230
Greensboro, NC 27408
P 336.288.1984
F 336.288.5401
Winston-Salem 1612 East 14th St. Winston-Salem, NC 27105
P 336.727.0705
F 336.714.3232
Dear Friends,
The recent passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has brought renewed attention to his life of profound service to the Church. Among so many other ways, I believe one of his most important contributions is the encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” (“God is Love”), which focused on our understanding of the nature of God’s Love and of our response.
Holy Scripture tells us of God’s love for his creation – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). And, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16). Pope Benedict reminded us of our response to this gift of God’s Love – “One of the scribes….asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
We are called as the faithful to respond to the gift of God’s Love by extending that love to our neighbors. As Pope Benedict wrote – “Love of neighbour, grounded in the love of God, is first and foremost a responsibility for each individual member of the faithful, but it is also a responsibility for the entire ecclesial community at every level….As a community, the Church must practice love. Love thus needs to be organized if it is to be an ordered service to the community” (no. 20).
In this Newsletter, we’re highlighting some of the wonderful partnerships we have with parishioners and others of goodwill. Your gifts to the Vineyard of Hope provide Catholic Charities with the necessary funds to offer services and distribute goods to our neighbors in need here in the greater Charlotte metro area.
Thank you for your generosity and partnership with our ministry of charity. I wish each of you a very blessed 2023.
The Christmas season is a magical time that brings out the generosity and kindness of strangers and friends alike. Early in December, supporters like you helped Catholic Charities provide a “Cozy Bundle” event that welcomed our neighbors from the community to stop by our Piedmont Triad office in Winston-Salem to create their very own “Cozy Bundle” by picking out books, blankets, pajamas, hats, gloves, and coats for themselves or their loved ones.
This event was co-sponsored by several community organizations, including fellow nonprofit SPARK (Share Peace And Rekindle Kindness). After shopping at the Cozy Bundles event, the
attendees enjoyed a delicious, warm meal provided by New Light Missionary Baptist Church, located directly across the street from the Catholic Charities office.
Your support blessed 343 adults and children with a “Cozy Bundle” to help them stay warm during the wintry months and cozy up with a good book. This event was a wonderful way to distribute these cozy items to our neighbors and unite many caring organizations that help make a difference in our community. What an excellent start to celebrating the Christmas season! Many thanks to our donors, community partners, staff, and volunteers for making this event possible.
Through the Homemakers of Mercy volunteers and the St. Matthews Refugee Resettlement Ministry team, apartments were set up for six newly-arrived refugee families. These families from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo were welcomed in their new country with these furnishings, supplies, a hot meal their first night, and food in the fridge!
The Angel Tree Program at Catholic Charities helps provide Christmas gifts, clothes, and other essentials to children, families, and seniors in western North Carolina facing extreme financial hardships. Beginning in the fall of 2022, the requests for the 2022 Angel Tree program began to come into the WRO office in Asheville, and the requests kept coming in. Soon, Catholic Charities was facing the challenge of how to serve nearly twice the number of individuals as the previous year in the western region.
Starting in September, staff, parish liaisons, and volunteers met to tailor Angel Tree programs specifically to respective parishes. When Catholic Charities asked parishes to donate more gifts to address the overwhelming demand, they readily stepped up.
When a mother of a large family came to pick up Angel Tree gifts, she had tears in her eyes as she thanked volunteers, donors, and staff for their generosity to provide her children a special and joyous Christmas.
“There is no better way for me to spend Advent,” said volunteer Susan Loveland. “Many have participated countless years…others have recounted that they were past recipients and now enjoy the chance to treat someone else. There are truly blessings for everyone in this Angel Tree program.”
Thanks to the dedication of local parishes, volunteers, staff, and the overwhelming generosity of donors, 500 people (adults and children) in the western region received gifts to enhance their Christmas joy.
Your gifts help support these local programs and services
