The supplies some families never put on their school lists
Encounter at Catholic Charities
Back-to-school season brings plenty of preparation.
Families are purchasing pencils, crayons, notebooks, backpacks and lunch boxes, making sure students have what they need to begin another school year.
It is also a good reminder that there are other necessities our neighbors need throughout the year that never appear on a school supply list.
For some of our older neighbors, that need may be dependable access to nutritious food each month.
For someone leaving a hospital or medical appointment, it may be having food available at home while they recover.
At Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, two programs help meet those needs in practical ways.
Catholic Charities serves as the distribution agency in Cole County for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, or CSFP.
In partnership with the USDA and The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, the program provides a monthly box of shelf-stable food to eligible adults age 60 and older who meet income requirements and live in Cole County.
Currently, Catholic Charities serves 120 neighbors through the program, with another 11 people on the waiting list.
Each box contains a variety of staple foods, such as oatmeal, tuna, canned vegetables and juice.
While the items may seem simple, they provide additional nourishment that can make a meaningful difference for an older adult living on a limited income.
Our volunteers are an important part of making this program possible.
Each month, volunteers help deliver the food boxes directly to neighbors, including residents at locations such as Ken Locke Apartments in Jefferson City.
For some of the older adults we serve, transportation, mobility or health concerns can make picking up food difficult.
Delivery helps ensure they can still receive the assistance available to them.
Over time, those monthly deliveries also allow relationships to form.
We get to know our neighbors, and they get to know the volunteers and staff members who return each month.
I am especially grateful for the volunteers who assist with this ministry.
Without their support, we would not be able to offer the same level of delivery service to neighbors who depend on it.
It is a simple and very local way to give back while helping an older neighbor remain nourished and supported.
Another way Catholic Charities works to address food insecurity is through our Hope & Healing Bags program in partnership with SSM Health.
Hope & Healing Bags are available for patients experiencing food insecurity in participating hospital and clinic settings.
When a social worker, physician or other healthcare professional identifies a patient who needs assistance, an individual or family-sized bag can be provided.
Each bag contains approximately two days of shelf-stable food.
The purpose is straightforward: when someone leaves a clinic or hospital, we want food to be one less immediate concern.
Good nutrition is important at any time, but it becomes especially important when someone is recovering from illness or managing a health condition.
If a patient returns home to an empty pantry, following a treatment plan and focusing on recovery can become much more difficult.
Catholic Charities staff regularly deliver Hope & Healing Bags and replenish supplies at participating SSM Health locations based on demand.
We also include information about our client-choice Food Pantry so that patients who need additional food assistance know where they can turn next.
This partnership allows both organizations to respond to a need when it is identified and connect neighbors with additional resources when necessary.
We are thankful for SSM Health’s continued partnership and its commitment to helping create a healthier community.
The Participant Food Boxes and Hope & Healing Bags look different, but both respond to the same basic need: access to food.
They also show what can happen when community organizations, volunteers and donors work together.
As families prepare their school supply lists this fall, I encourage you to remember the needs that may not be written down.
A neighbor may need a monthly food box delivered to the door.
A patient may need something to eat after returning home from the hospital.
Another family may simply need to know where to turn for help.
There are ways each of us can respond.
Catholic Charities relies on volunteers to help deliver Participant Food Boxes each month, and financial support helps us continue providing food assistance and other services to neighbors throughout our communities.
Proverbs 19:17 reminds us, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
Whether by volunteering, giving or simply helping someone connect with available resources, we can each do something practical to care for our neighbors.
To volunteer or make a gift in support of Catholic Charities, visit cccnmo.diojeffcity.org.
Sometimes what a neighbor needs most will never appear on a traditional supply list.
But together, we can help make sure it is still provided.
