Category: Diocese of Scranton News

Multiple Diocese of Scranton organizations received grants for important programs thanks to the generosity of several local and national charitable foundations. Among the most recent awards were:

• The Robert H. Spitz Foundation, administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, supported Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton with a $20,000 grant for a project titled “Reviving a Core Model for Self-Sufficiency: A Return To Evidence-Based Relief Assistance.”

The grant is helping Catholic Social Services provide relief assistance in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in a manner that has measurable impact on recipients’ lives. Clients who receive relief assistance, for example, are tracked in their progress toward achieving individualized goals, such as maintaining stable housing, obtaining or retaining employment or repairing family finances through better credit management.

Relief assistance, especially via case management, has always been a hallmark of Catholic Social Services’ work.

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  AllOne Charities supported Holy Cross High School with a $22,000 grant to form a pilot partnership with the NEPA Center for Independent Living to ensure that special-needs students get the best hands-on educational experience possible.

“AllOne Charities is pleased to serve as a partner in the innovative and collaborative work between Holy Cross High School and the NEPA Center for Independent Living,” John Cosgrove, executive director of AllOne Foundation & Charities, said. “There is so much more we can achieve together in improving the access to quality programming for our friends and neighbors with special needs.”

Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education Jason Morrison recognized AllOne Charities’ commitment for enhancing access to special-needs programs for Catholic school students.

“We are grateful to AllOne Charities for the generous support of our students with exceptionalities,” he said. “This gift achieves our goal of ensuring that all students achieve their God-given potential and are prepared for life beyond the classroom.”

• AllOne Charities also supported the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center’s Respite Care Program, which offers a much-needed break to caregivers for children ages 5-13 who are actively receiving mental-health services.

The program, run in partnership with Luzerne County Mental Health & Developmental Services and its System of Care, has seen greatly increasing client numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It serves newfound caregivers and the children for whom they are responsible. These caregivers lack child-care resources or natural supports to help them in their new roles.

“Wilkes-Barre CYC is on the front lines of providing excellent, compassionate and quality care for those with special needs and for those who care for them,” Cosgrove said. “AllOne Charities is pleased to support their invaluable work.”

• The Margaret Briggs Foundation supported Catholic Social Services’ Food Pantry in Carbondale with a $10,000 grant to continue providing food amid rapidly increasing demand during the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the Carbondale pantry saw a record 1,154 households served, representing a 106 percent month-over-month increase and an unprecedented turn of events that has continued late into fall.
• The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., also supported Catholic Social Services’ Carbondale Food Pantry with a $15,000 grant. This was the first grant Catholic Social Services has received from the Pulte Foundation.
• The Luzerne Foundation, in conjunction with the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, awarded $5,870 to the Catholic Youth Center to take the initial steps toward creating a new meal kit and recipe program for Wyoming Valley families living in poverty. The program is on track to launch early in 2021.
• The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation also awarded a $25,000 discretionary grant to support Catholic Social Services’ COVID relief efforts.
• The Luzerne County COVID relief grant program, made possible by the CARES Act, awarded the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center $11,845 and Catholic Social Services $8,730 to support COVID relief efforts.
• Finally, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office for Safe Schools’ Targeted Grants Program awarded a total of $471,671 to Diocesan Catholic elementary and secondary schools to upgrade security systems.

“The Diocese of Scranton is incredibly appreciative of the work all of these supporters do locally, in our country and in our world,” Jim Bebla, Diocesan Secretary of Development, said. “Their grantmaking makes a notable impact on all who are served by our various nonprofit entities, and we thank them for their partnership, especially during these turbulent times.”

On Friday, December 4, 2020, representatives from IAANEPA (Indian American Association of Northeast PA) donated $500 in support of the work and mission of Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre.

Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen provides hot, nutritious meals to members of the community on a daily basis from 39 East Jackson Street, Wilkes-Barre.

On Friday, December 4, 2020, representatives from IAANEPA (Indian American Association of Northeast PA) donated $500 in support of the work and mission of Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton.

Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen provides hot, nutritious meals to members of the community on a daily basis from 500 Penn Avenue, Scranton.

CARBONDALE – The smell of meatloaf filled the basement hall at Saint Rose of Lima Church on Thursday, Dec. 3, and it provided a taste of normalcy for approximately a dozen parish volunteers.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, the parish hosted its weekly Mid Valley Outreach meal to anyone in need in the community. With the assistance of Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton, the parish will once again provide a warm, nutritious meal to people in the Carbondale community once a week.

“We’re very happy and excited to be able to provide for the people of the Carbondale area once again,” Rob Williams, Executive Director of Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen and Food and Clothing Pantry, said.

Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen provides the food, chef and everything it takes to deliver the meal, but parish volunteers help to serve it. Due to the ongoing health crisis, the meals are being served in to-go containers at the door.

“One of the greatest things for me, with regards to the Mid Valley Outreach, is that it’s local people serving local people,” Williams added.

The outreach meal started in Carbondale five years ago and quickly became popular. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers would typically serve between 80-110 sit-down meals each Thursday.

Jim Roberts serves as coordinator for the community meal.

“Jesus told us to feed the hungry and minister to them in any way you can,” he said.

Recognizing that the need for a warm meal never disappeared during the pandemic, Roberts said his volunteers were excited to get back to work.

“They are more than eager. They wanted to come back. They want to do this. They knew we would have to take precautions, wear masks and gloves and social distance but they wanted to come back. It is their way of serving,” he explained.

Volunteer Cindy Opalka says the team of volunteers have formed a tight-knit family. Over the course of the last few months, she would often hear from people in the community how much the weekly meal was missed.

“I could not wait,” she explained, describing excitement to get back to serving.

Central to the work of Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen is volunteerism. That is why the partnership between the kitchen and Saint Rose of Lima Parish is so critical.

In addition to Carbondale, Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen has also provided meals to churches in Olyphant and Archbald on a weekly basis as part of the Mid Valley Outreach Program.

While those meals have not yet resumed, Williams is hopeful they will resume early in 2021.

“We’ve been in conversations with those parishes and pastors and I’m hoping that in the new year, at some point in the new year, we’ll be in the position to continue our service to those communities as well,” Williams explained.

SAYRE – A popular community meal, sponsored by Epiphany Parish in Bradford County, has taken on added significance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Offered on the second Tuesday of every month, some recipients say the meal has helped them during the financial instability of 2020.

“We’ve lost a lot of income due to COVID and it helps feed our family,” Laura Houseknecht said while picking up meals for her family recently. “Thank you to everyone that helps out with this meal. It has been great. We’ve been coming for years and thank you during this very hard time.”

Because of the pandemic, Epiphany Parish has been serving its community meal in to-go containers, instead of holding a sit-down meal, to avoid large crowds and help maintain physical distancing.

“We prepare a hot meal with dessert,” parishioner William Hillyard explained. “They just have to drive up, tell us how many dinners they need and we load up their cars.”

Everyone is welcome at the community meal sponsored by Epiphany Parish. Meals are served between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

“It is open to the whole community, not just to our parish,” Hillyard added.

Epiphany Parish receives a Social Justice Grant from the Diocese of Scranton to help pay some of the costs associated with the community meal. Generous gifts to the Diocesan Annual Appeal help support the Social Justice Grant Program and the important projects that receive funding.

“We’d like to thank the donors who give to the Annual Appeal, which in return comes back to us so we can continue to put on this service for our community,” Hillyard added.

Parishioners James and Patricia Briggs stopped by the community meal recently to pick up more than a dozen meals, which they share with their neighbors and friends.

“We usually get 14 dinners and where we live in the neighborhood is where we pass them out,” Patricia Briggs said.

By handing out the meals, the Briggs ensure their neighbors get a warm, nutritious meal at least once a month.

“We would like to thank all the parishioners who donate to the Diocesan Annual Appeal. We think it’s a very important mission for the church and we definitely appreciate the contributions,” Patricia added.

“This truly does help the local people and the needs of our community,” Father Andrew Hvozdovic, pastor, Epiphany Parish, said.

The community meal is just one of several programs that Epiphany Parish has applied for funding through the Social Justice Grant Program. In previous years, the parish has received funding to help the Chow for Children Program, an ecumenical program which feeds roughly 45-50 families per week during the school year, the Knights of Columbus annual coat drive which helped nearly 400 children last year as well as the Helping Hands of Bentley Creek.

“If it wasn’t for the great generosity of the donors of the Diocesan Annual Appeal, we wouldn’t have these outstanding outreach possibilities here in Bradford County,” Father Hvozdovic added.

For more information on all of the Diocesan ministries supported by gifts to the Annual Appeal, to view one of the regional Annual Appeal videos or to make a donation online, visit AnnualAppeal.org. Gifts can also be made by calling the Diocesan Development Office at (570) 207-2250 or by sending a donation to: Diocesan Annual Appeal, 300 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503.