News & Updates

A group of 11-year-old girls and boys in the Olney  neighborhood of North Philadelphia received a wonderful gift from the Oxford Valley Barnes and Noble store in Fairless Hills, PA – brand new copies of the bestselling book Wonder, by R.J. Palacio!  Local store management at this Barnes and Noble outlet chose to make the donation after learning about the exceptional group of children who attend summer and afterschool programming offered by Catholic Social Services at the St. Helena Incarnation Out-of-School Time (OST) Program in Olney.   Literacy support is a major component of OST program design, in addition to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities.  By placing this outstanding and popular book in the hands of these children, the Barnes and Noble donation encourages their habit of regular reading and, in this case, fosters reflection on invaluable life lessons about kindness and friendship.   Catholic Social Services sends

Catholic Social Services of Montgomery County recently completed a major renovation aimed at transforming its well-known and heavily trafficked food pantry into a “Choice Market” model. This new approach to assisting individuals and families experiencing food insecurity will enable clients to “shop for” (choose) food items that meet their own unique dietary needs and preferences. Liz Peteraf, Administrator of the CSS Family Services Center where the food pantry is located, explains that “the Choice model is just good common sense, giving people the opportunity to choose foods that fit their preferences and support their health, and in a way that promotes their dignity and is also more efficient than the old system.” Just as importantly, in just the few days since reopening under this new approach, she has observed how it fosters “people interacting with and engaging one another as persons, and tears down the walls between us as clients

BROOKHAVEN >> Residents, clergy, family, friends, local officials and neighbors gathered Sunday for the dedication, blessing and tour of the Don Guanella residence located on the grounds of Our lady of Charity Church. The residence, which will be home to eight mentally and physically disabled men who formally lived at the now-closed Cardinal Krol Center on Sproul Road in Springfield, is a ranch-style construction with ample kitchen facilities, computer room, living room, bathroom and bedrooms.Construction began in September and the home is scheduled to officially open in two weeks. The residents of the new Don Guanella home in Brookhaven pose for a photo. In the rear are, from left, the Rev. Brian Izzo, Patti Menszak and Rev. the Dennis Weber. LORETTA RODGERS — Daily Times correspondent Catholic Social Services administrator Patti Menszak said the Brookhaven home is the ninth the archdiocese has opened. She added that managers and direct care

At Catholic Charities Night at the Sixers Game on Friday, Ashley McElveen-Clark was honored for her dedication to youth development. Ashley is the Assistant Director for the Catholic Social Services Out-of-School-Time Program at the DePaul School in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Ever since she joined CSS, youth have been flocking to the program because of Ashley's ability to develop a full range of activities that empower youth to become leaders in their community and gain pride through competition. Ashley sees her profession as more than a job; for her it is truly a calling in life. She is a role model for middle school youth who often benefit from having “Miss Ashley” as their program leader. James Amato, Deputy Secretary for Catholic Social Services, commented: “Ashley’s devotion to the youth with whom she works is a rare quality to find, and it makes her an integral part of our

Five Philadelphia members of the Order of Malta-Federal Association, USA delivered a $25,000 check to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput for the purchase of refrigerators and freezers for the Montgomery County Food Cupboard in Norristown. The Food Cupboard, an outreach ministry of Catholic Social Services, has fed over 35,000 people from nearly 10,000 households from throughout Montgomery County this year. The new commercial grade appliances will help to expand the cupboard’s food storage capacity, and will facilitate an improved experience for clients. Clair Raubenstine, Coordinator of the Order’s Federal Association in Philadelphia, and his wife Jeanne Raubenstine (also a member of the Order) initiated the project and identified the Food Cupboard as a ‘hands-on’ local service project for members of the Order. A group of the Order’s local members meets every month and assists with stocking shelves and reorganizing food for visits by the following week’s clients. Local member John Hoy,

Over 300 job seekers came to a career fair hosted by Casa del Carmen, located in North Philadelphia. Held in their spacious courtyard under multiple tents, the job fair featured over two dozen employers from across the region, all of whom had a particular interest in recruiting prospective employees from this highly diverse multicultural neighborhood. Recruiters included representatives from SEPTA, PECO, METRO Public Adjustment, Bayada Home Health Care, Aspira, the PA Department of Labor, JEVS Human Services, Sugarhouse Casino, Esperanza Health Center, Avon, and APM (Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha). Human resources representatives from Catholic Social Services and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia were also on hand to share information about employment opportunities within various programs and divisions. Most of the companies and organizations reported that they interacted with between 150 and 200 individuals, with better than a third of those being qualified candidates for currently open positions. Job opportunities

On a beautiful Friday in July, over 1,000 children served by Catholic Social Services converged on Neshaminy Shore Picnic Park for a day of fun and games. The children, who attend one of 10 Out of School Time summer programs run by CSS throughout the city, ranged from elementary through middle and high school students. As Nancy Hecker, St. Martin de Porres OST program director, commented: "For many of these children, this is a unique opportunity to get out into a beautiful, green park environment to just have good summer fun. It feels good to see them just being kids running around outside and having a great time. They get a chance to meet new friends who attend other OST summer programs from various neighborhood communities that each program serves.” The children enjoyed sports games, face painting, swimming, water balloon toss, and a local DJ treated them to lively music,

A group of eight men, formerly residents of the Cardinal Krol Center on the Don Guanella Village in Springfield, have recently moved into their new constructed group home on the grounds of Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Swarthmore. Although the parish was recently consolidated with nearby Our Lady of Peace Church in Milmont Park, the Notre Dame parishioners there have extended a warm welcome to these adult men with intellectual disabilities, hosting a weekly social gathering with them. The parish's Legion of Mary society will lead a weekly rosary with them on Thursday nights, and the parish youth organization recently hosted them for a baseball game and picnic following the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass still being celebrated at the Notre Dame de Lourdes worship site. Another group of men living in a group home nearby in Morton are also attending. Fr. Robert T. Feeney, now Pastor at Our Lady

New division of CSS designated as a Community Umbrella Agency by Dept. of Human Services.    Goal is to build a network of partnerships aimed at keeping children safe in their own homes or with foster families in their own neighborhoods. Catholic Social Services has a proud history of serving vulnerable children throughout metropolitan Philadelphia. Now, a new branch of the agency called Catholic Community Services will focus on building partnerships with other agencies and community resources to provide intensive prevention services for children and their families in an area encompassed by the 2nd, 7th and 8th police districts in Northeast Philadelphia. Case managers, supervisors and administrative support personnel receive eight weeks of intensive training prior to handling their first cases in January 2014. Last spring, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services unveiled plans to create a network of community-based agencies to provide case management for the city’s at-risk youth. Based on a model called