Catholic Charities of Collier County

Hundreds of Children to Enjoy Christmas Gifts, Many Thanks to St. Ann’s Parish

ccadmin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:05:43 +0000

Hundreds of new toys and items of clothing will be distrbuted

Thanks to our generous contributors and the parishoners of St. Ann’s hundreds of children will be able to enjoy unwrapping gifts of toys and new clothing this Christmas. We are most grateful to all who have made this possible.

Catholic Charities Staff Christmas Party Hosted by Guadalupe

ccadmin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:01:32 +0000

The Immokalee High School Mexican Foklore Dancers were a highlight of the Christmas Party

: The Collier County Staff assembled around the 2011 Guadalupe Christmas Tree

The Guadalupe Staff and volunteers hosted the CCDOV 2011 Christmas Party in Immokalee. Delicious Mexican dishes and warm Christmas Cheer was shared by over 100 of the staff.

Merry Christmas!

Council of Hispanic Business Professionals Gala A Hit for SOW

ccadmin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:33:39 +0000

Maria Ramos (center) presented the $7,000 Gala proceeds to Elaine Stanley (left) Chairman of the Advisory Board and Ninfa Drago, Program Director, Guadalupe Social Services.

Council of Hispanic Business Professionals’ Third Annual Gala was a joyful evening of dining and dancing. event took place on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at Kensington Golf and Country Club, Naples. The proceed’s from this year’s Gala will be donated to the School on Wheels, a project of Guadalupe Social Services, Catholic Charities of Collier County. The School on Wheels mission is to improve the lives of women in Immokalee by teaching them conversational English. Hundreds of women from Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti and El Salvador and other countries are isolated in worker camps and trailer parks in rural Immokalee and are functionally illiterate.

2012 Emerald Ball Patron Party set for March 7, 2012 at the Port Royal Home of Sue and John Morrison

ccadmin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:52:40 +0000

Annually over 400 guests enjoy companionship and good cheer

Under the leadership of Dr. Francisco and Ruth Smith our 2012 Emerald Ball Committee has begun its work to make the 2012 Emerald Ball another smash! The date is Saturday, March 17, 2012.

Yes a very special St. Patty’s Day for all who attend.

Our host site for the evening will again be the Ritz Tiburon. This signature Collier County Event now in its 27th year has raised milions of dollars for our programs and services and we trust you will want to play a part. Thanks to the generosity of John and Sue Morrison our Patrons will enjoy a festive evening on Thursday evening, March 7. For Patron Party information please call or email.

Backpack Test at Mike Davis Elementary a Success

ccadmin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:54:48 +0000

Knights and Dames of Malta Made Light Work of the Backpack Prep

As our readers know there are children in America that rely on resources such as free or reduced-priced school lunch, during the school year. Here in Collier County over 20,000 children receive free or reduced lunches every school day!

But what happens on the weekend? Are they receiving nutritious meals? How often? Questions to ponder. The BackPack Program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations.

About the BackPack Program

Backpacks filled with food that children take home on weekends
Food is child-friendly, nonperishable and easily consumed.
Backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation

The BackPack Concept

The BackPack Program concept was developed at the Arkansas Rice Depot, after a school nurse asked for help because hungry students were coming to her with stomachaches and dizziness. The local food bank began to provide the school children with groceries in non-descript backpacks to carry home.

In addition to providing nutritious food to school children in need, some BackPack Programs provide extra food for younger siblings at home and others operate during the summer months when children are out of school and have limited access to free or reduced-priced meals.

The BackPack Program became a pilot program in 1995. The National Council of Feeding America approved the BackPack Program as an official national program of the Network in July 2006.
More than 140 Feeding America members operated more than 3,600 BackPack Programs and served more than 190,000 children in FY2009.

Backpacks for Collier Kids

We have been exploring initiating a “backpack” program here in Collier County. There are several agencies in Lee County working with Harry Chapin who provide this program including St. Vincent DePaul and CCMI. It is not available in Collier. Part of the problem is cost. These meals cost approximately $2.35- $2.50 per child, per week.

During the last month of the school year we launched a “test” site in cooperation with CCSB and one elementary school in Golden Gate, Mike Davis Elementary.

We discussed this proposal with Ms. Dawn Hauser, Director of Nutrition Services for the School District. She pointed us to Mike Davis Elementary School in Golden Gate as having an identified need with a willing principal, Bob Spano, who would assist. In addition, preliminary discussion with ‘Kids Against Hunger” indicates that they would collaborate as well. Catholic Charities mustered several volunteers from our present pool as well as drawing from area churches. We received a commitment from the Knights and Dames of Malta to assist us in packaging, etc. The meals were assembled, packaged and placed in backpacks and distributed to the fifty children selected on Fridays.

Catholic Charities receives 4-star Charity Navigator Rating in 2010

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:25:39 +0000

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice (which includes Collier County) again received a four-star efficiency rating – the highest possible – from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. More than 90 percent of the charity’s money is … Continue reading →