Celebrating Catholic Charities Week April 30-May 6
Catholic Charities Week, which will be celebrated April 30 to May 6, highlights the tangible ways in which the faithful across western North Carolina are giving back to people in need – offering a glimmer of hope and inspiration to overcome the difficulties they are experiencing.
Catholic Charities is committed to helping our brothers and sisters who are struggling, living on the peripheries, the most vulnerable among us. For nearly 75 years, the agency has provided assistance and resources to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty in western North Carolina. Last year alone,
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte served more than 18,000 people, helping them address the residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation that has created a greater need for food, housing and financial assistance.
Catholic Charities’ food pantries in Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem are among its most in-demand services. Last year, the agency distributed more than 562,000 pounds of food to 13,515 people in need.
Agency staff and volunteers also provided people with a range of individualized support services designed to help them escape poverty – including educational and employment opportunities, help connecting to healthcare, parenting and life skills coaching, overcoming barriers to transportation and childcare, and more. Read related story: Catholic Charities’ outreach to veterans and homeless ‘puts your faith in people again’
Catholic Charities also rose to the challenge in aiding people to flee war-torn Afghanistan and Ukraine, resettling more than 240 refugees in Charlotte and Asheville.
They were among a total of 636 refugees from across the globe that Catholic Charities assisted throughout western North Carolina over the past year. They received financial, medical, educational, employment and housing assistance to enable them to build new lives.
Catholic Charities routinely offers a comprehensive array of services to meet the needs of our communities, including: pregnancy support and adoption services; individual, marriage and family counseling; support for teens in crisis; legal immigration services; disaster relief; help for homeless veterans and individuals; and social advocacy.
The agency also assists elderly individuals through its Elder Ministry, offering classes and workshops to address the needs and challenges of aging.
And all of these services are made available to people regardless of their race, ethnicity or religion.
Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director and CEO of Catholic Charities, credits the many volunteers, supporters and donors who make this work possible.
“We could not do what we do without their support and help,” he said. “It’s their care for people they’ve never met, who’ve never met them, who do not know their name, and whose name they’ll never know. But they reach out to help them because they are fellow human beings in need.”
— Spencer K.M. Brown. SueAnn Howell, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Charlotte contributed.
How can you help?
Financial donations are an effective way to help serve people in need and enable Catholic Charities to assist participants and buy food. Learn more and make donations via:
- ONLINE: www.ccdoc.org (click on “Donate”)
- MAIL: Make checks payable to "Catholic Charities" and send to: Catholic Charities, Central Processing, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203-4003.
- PHONE/EMAIL: Contact Virginia Garramone, director of development, at 704-370-3349, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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
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.
A Lasting Legacy: Endowments benefit Catholic Charities and its vital work in the Diocese of Charlotte
- FFHL Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Endowment Fund: Established through the “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign, this fund provides financial support for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
- Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the general needs of this diocesan ministry across the western half of North Carolina.
- Catholic Charities Asheville Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the general needs of this ministry in Asheville.
- Catholic Charities Burial Assistance Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the burial assistance program in Mecklenburg County.
- Catholic Charities Charlotte Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the general needs of this ministry in Charlotte.
- Catholic Charities Refugee Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the general needs of this ministry across the western half of North Carolina.
- Catholic Charities Winston-Salem Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the general needs of this ministry in Winston-Salem.
- Beatrice A. Chase Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest, this fund provides financial support for Catholic Charities.
- Elizabeth Grace Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the programmatic needs of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Aurelia I. Guffey Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest, this fund provides for the programmatic needs of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Peter J. and Catherine P. Hickey Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the adoption programs of Catholic Charities.
- Robert H. Moeller Memorial Endowment Fund: This fund provides housing-related financial assistance for the elderly across the western half of North Carolina.
- John S. Monahan Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest, this fund provides for the general needs of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
- John and Marlene Olenick Endowment Fund: This fund provides support to Room At The Inn of Greensboro and the pregnancy support services of Catholic Charities in the Piedmont/Triad.
- George and Jane Pfaff Catholic Charities Endowment Fund: Established through a bequest, this fund provides for program needs of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Charlotte.
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Philippine Heritage Endowment Fund: This endowment provides for the unrestricted general needs of Catholic Charities in Charlotte and for refugee/immigrant assistance of Catholic Charities in Charlotte.
- Sarmiento-Lang Family Endowment Fund: This fund provides for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Barnabas Church and for pregnancy support services at Catholic Charities across the Diocese of Charlotte.
- Lee and Allan Thurbee Memorial Endowment Fund: This fund provides financial support for Catholic Charities’ work in the Diocese of Charlotte.
Fund an endowment
Interested in setting up – or adding to – an endowment to benefit the mission of Catholic Charities, your parish or a Catholic school in the Diocese of Charlotte? You can establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a trust or annuity, or a gift of real estate, life insurance, cash or securities. For details, contact Gina Rhodes, diocesan director of planned giving, at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..