In Great Bend, Catholic Charities staff members recently received a call from a woman who had experienced significant health issues, substantial medical debt, loss of employment due to COVID-19, and subsequent homelessness that forced her to live in her vehicle with her dog. As if this wasn't enough, as she journeyed to be closer to family, she became stranded en route from Texas to Kansas when her vehicle began to have engine trouble.
She eventually DID make it to Kansas but she had nothing, and in desperation, she contacted Catholic Charities.
As divine intervention would have it, Sr Imelda Schmidt OP from the Dominican Sisters of Peace contacted Catholic Charities the day before regarding a $1000 grant she received from Catholic Extension's Sisters on the Frontlines Campaign. The grant, given to hundreds of Sisters across the country, came with a mandate to help an individual or family adversely affected by COVID-19. With Sr Imelda's blessing, we knew immediately that our desperate traveler was the person we were meant to help.
The next week, all of us gathered at the Catholic Charities office where our client was approved to be the very first participant in our Great Bend housing program. In addition to deposits for rent and utilities, Sr Imelda's Catholic Extension grant money also provided basic groceries and household essentials. Over the next two years, Catholic Charities will continue to provide support and case management with the ultimate goal of helping our client become self-sufficient once again.
On behalf of our client, we are beyond grateful for Sr Imelda, Catholic Extension, and so many others who made it possible for us to ease someone's pain in an impactful way.
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Editors Note: Over the past year, several Catholic Charities clients benefited from Sisters on the Frontlines grants. We are deeply grateful for all of the Sisters who partnered with our agency to ease the impact of COVID-19 for so many people. Thank You!
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