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In 2023, a highlight for senior citizens at the Saint Edmond Senior Community Center was the fashion show, which featured creativity and participation from many members. Saint Edmond, one of four senior centers operated by Catholic Housing and Community Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CHCS), is located in the Point Breeze section of South Philadelphia and provides a broad range of services for those 60 years of age and older. CHCS senior centers 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. “We host fashion shows throughout the year with different themes,” says Kimberly Beatty, Saint Edmond Center Manager. “Such events not only offer entertainment but also create a sense of community and shared celebration.”

From Turkey giveaways to "Friendsgiving" celebrations, the holiday season is a busy time for Catholic Human Services' three agencies: Catholic Social Services (CSS), Catholic Housing and Community Services (CHCS), and Nutritional Development Services (NDS).

Bucks County Family Service Center recently held a giveaway event to provide Thanksgiving meals for families in their PC-IRU program, a case management program for Ukrainian newcomers. Over 100 families received a turkey and a gift card to Mary’s Cupboard, the food pantry that operates out of the center. The case management initiative is a 3-month program that allows Ukrainian newcomers to receive help and guidance. This includes assistance with applying for Social Security cards, obtaining an employment authorization card (EAD), applying to receive cash assistance, school enrollment, English language training, and registering for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In addition, clients will also receive enhanced cultural orientation to learn about U.S. laws, culture, and the community.

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

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

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

On a sunlit, steamy afternoon in July, North Philly mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children gathered at Casa del Carmen Family Service Center for “Summer Fest”, an annual celebration for families. The Beautiful Beginnings parent education program at Casa del Carmen hosted the afternoon of food and fun. The event was a welcome break from remote events and digital “gatherings” so commonplace throughout the pandemic. Neighbors enjoyed Philly favorites: hoagies, soft pretzels, and water ice. Says Jenny Munguia, BA, BSW, Prenatal & Parenting Educator at Casa del Carmen, “Summer Fest is a way to bring people together, and relieve the stress of being alone. To get people to meet their neighbors”. Pregnancy and Parenting Education Social isolation, and the stress that accompanies it, is all too common in families with infants and young children. Catholic Social Services at Casa del Carmen helps to minimize isolation by conducting pregnancy and parenting education