October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of the month, St. Edmond and Star Harbor Senior Community Centers, operated by Catholic Housing and Community Services, hosted special events throughout a designated week in October. Activities included wearing pink all week and crafts designed to bring awareness to the disease. In addition, center breast cancer survivors and those currently battling were recognized and honored.
Nutritional Development Services (NDS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia celebrated National School Lunch Week which took place October 9-13, 2023. The fun and creative campaign theme, “Level Up with School Lunch,” highlighted the importance of a healthy school lunch to student success in and out of the classroom. “Recent research shows that many children are getting their healthiest meals at school. National School Lunch Week highlights the benefits of the meals available daily,” said Lizanne F. Hagedorn, Executive Director of NDS. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) offers students fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and milk as part of every lunch. Evolving federal nutrition standards ensure that these meals are age appropriate for calorie levels while limiting both unhealthy fats and sodium. The program plays an important role in improving children’s diets and combatting food insecurity. Hagedorn added that National School Lunch Week is an opportunity to learn more
The Communities of Don Guanella and Divine Providence (DGDP), a ministry of Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CSS), marked the feast of their patron, Saint Luigi Guanella (Don Guanella) with a Mass of Thanksgiving on Tuesday, October 24. Most Reverend Joseph L. Coffey, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for Military Services, was the principal celebrant and homilist. Men and women served by The Communities of DGDP as well as their families and caregivers were in attendance for the prayerful occasion. Supporters and benefactors of the program were also invited to participate. In honor of Saint Luigi Guanella’s feast day, Archbishop Pérez released a video message as part of the celebration this year. The Archbishop said, “Today, his legacy is central to the mission of The Communities of Don Guanella and Divine Providence, a ministry of Catholic Social Services serving more than 400 men and women each day.
Senior community centers operated by Catholic Housing and Community Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS) offer opportunities for socialization, recreation, physical exercise, education, and nutritional support with a focus on overall health, wellness, and independence. The centers feature a broad spectrum of activities such as art classes, trips, health education, nursing services, exercise programs, and wellness initiatives. At Norris Square Senior Community Center in North Philadelphia, a highlight for local seniors is their recently formed “Grupo Alegria”. The center is one of five operated by CHCS as part of its continuum of care to older adults throughout the Greater Philadelphia Region. As a large contingent of those benefitting from the center come from the Hispanic community, specific efforts are made to provide programs that are aligned with their cultural experience. In July 2022, Norris Square Senior Community Center formed the group as a forerunner to participate in the
“Camp Rainbow” is a longstanding summer initiative of St. Edmond’s Home that provides activities, outdoor games, and special events tailored to the varied needs and abilities of its campers. Located in Rosemont (Delaware County), this Catholic Social Services (CSS) ministry is an Intermediate Care Facility for children with severe and profound intellectual and physical disabilities. Loving and compassionate staff provide an exceptional range of services and quality care for medically fragile children and young adults ages 6 weeks to 21 years. Since 1997, Camp Rainbow has offered full day programming Monday through Friday not only St. Edmond’s residents but also children from the local community with similar disabilities. At the start of camp, each camper, counselor, and staff member are assigned to a group. Each group has their own unique color and each participant receives a camp t-shirt in the color of their group. This summer, approximately 50 campers
Nutritional Development Services (NDS), an agency of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is currently hosting its Summer Meals Program. This vital initiative ensures that children and youth aged 18 or younger throughout the Greater Philadelphia area have access to wholesome, nourishing meals at no cost when school is out of session. This year, NDS’ theme is “A Summer of Kindness” to coincide with its “Operation Kindness” program. This program provides partnering summer meal sites with activities to encourage children and youth to think and act with kindness. While training hundreds of sites to operate the USDA funded Summer Meals Program, NDS provided various materials so that the site managers can encourage kindness among the children. “The goal is not only to focus on kindness through the span of an activity, but also to encourage kind thinking and ongoing kind behavior” says Dave Stier, Assistant Director of Community Relations for NDS. To kick
In 2021 Pope Francis instituted World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly to celebrate the senior citizens in our lives. Our Holy Father said that the elderly are, “the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.” Each year, this occasion is marked on the fourth Sunday in July as a way to honor the feast day of Jesus’ grandparents, Saints Joachim and Anne. For the third annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Archbishop Pérez released a video message as part of the celebration this year. The Archbishop said, “Today we celebrate our grandparents and the senior citizens in our lives. They have many gifts and great wisdom to share and are bountiful sources of strength, support, and hope.” Catholic Housing and Community Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS) provides support and services to older adults everyday
In late June, members of Catholic Social Services (CSS) celebrated World Refugee Day by attending "Our America Now: A Celebration of World Refugee Day," a festival experience that highlights the remarkable contributions of refugees and the supportive families who stand by them. Through live music, dance, dance lessons, storytelling, videos, and interactive art installations, the Greater Philadelphia community learned how the city welcomes refugees into the country and helps them make the difficult transition to their new home while providing opportunities to build a life through culture, stories, art, and music. This event was in partnership with Welcome.US, a national initiative built to inspire, mobilize, and empower Americans from all corners of the country to welcome and support people seeking refuge in the United States and help them thrive. CSS provides refugee assistance for newcomers from other countries emigrating to the United States and to the Philadelphia region. This spring, Most
As the school year comes to a close, students at Saint Malachy Out of School Time Program (OST) in North Philadelphia enjoyed prepping their final meal with the Vetri Cooking Lab. The OST Program partners with Vetri Community Partnership, a non-profit organization that provides nutrition education through cooking to more than 20,000 people of all ages from Philadelphia and Camden each year. Vetri Cooking Lab is a dedicated OST program consisting of 10 two-hour long sessions that help students build on culinary skills and nutritional knowledge. Vetri and Saint Malachy OST have partnered on the Vetri Cooking Lab program over the last 5 years with fall, spring, and summer sessions each year. “Each session offers hands-on cooking and tasting opportunities where the students follow chef's instructions in creating the meal and finish the session sitting around the table eating their day's creation and discussing,” explains Erik Ritter, Director of Saint Malachy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) received an additional payment at the end of each month to provide extra help in purchasing food. In September 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services recorded 1.88 million Pennsylvanians are on SNAP, with children representing over 30% of the total. Due to recent nationwide benefit changes, SNAP households will no longer receive the additional payment. With this change, households are set to lose a minimum of $95 a month in benefits with a statewide average impact of $181 per household. During this time of increased food costs, even a minor cut in benefits will be difficult for Montgomery County residents who rely on these funds to feed themselves and their families. Food pantries play a critical role in helping those facing food insecurity and lack of access to nutritious food. Montgomery County recently presented a $500,000
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