Connecting those who have with those who need.

August, 2013
Issue # 1
Connecting those who have
with those who need.
Caritas (Kah-ree-tahs) n.
[Latin] charity, love for all
people
Our Mission
Inspired by the compassion
of Jesus, Caritas Connections
continues His mission to feed
the hungry, clothe the naked,
and help the sick, suffering
and homeless.
Who We Are
Caritas Connections is a faith
-based organization dedicated
to "connecting those who
have with those who need".
Many members of our community are eager to share
their blessings. Many of our
less fortunate neighbors desperately require their help.
The challenge is linking the
gifts with the needs.
We provide that vital connection - transforming compassion into charity.
Members of St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church in Kirkwood, MO Serve as the primary coordinators and volunteers
A MESSAGE FROM FATHER BRYON
I am pleased to share our first newsletter with you. Each issue will inform you about our activities, events
and progress. We plan to feature
interviews providing a deeper understanding of donors and volunteers
who assist us as well as food pantries and non-profits that Caritas
serves.
Our featured food pantry is St.
Augustine Wellston Center. For over
twenty years this pantry has provided food, clothing and services to
the local community. Learn how this
organization continues to make an
impact and how Caritas supports it’s
mission.
We are excited to announce our first
fund raising event, a golf tournament to be held Sunday, September
22 at The Courses at Forest Park.
The tournament will feature door
prizes, 18 holes of golf, dinner and
drinks. I encourage you to participate in this fund raiser by registering to play, sponsoring a hole, or
volunteering the day of the tournament. Please see the advertisement
Did you know…
Almost 25% of Missouri children are hungry or at risk of hunger
everyday. This number increases during summer while school is
out.
25% of the state's children live in low-income, working families,
defined as an income of less than twice the poverty level.
32% of children live in families where no parent has full time,
year round employment.
on page 3 for more details.
Caritas continuously strives to
achieve its mission of “connecting
those who have with those who
need” with the many volunteers
who give their time and energy. We
are grateful for our donors who
generously support our mission.
Caritas is growing and now serves
more people than ever. Since 2008,
the ministry of Caritas has grown
from…
4 Food Donors to 18
5 Volunteers to 40
11 non-profits served to 29
Jesus calls on all of us to serve the
needs of the poor and it has been
my privilege for the last thirty years
to work with many dedicated people in many parishes to try to answer His call. I am always amazed
at what we can accomplish when
we all work together and don't care
who gets the credit.
Yours in Christ,
Father Bryon
T
HANK YOU to the parishioners of St. Gerard Majella for
sponsoring a food and paper
goods drive. They donated over
100 boxes of canned goods as
well as paper products too numerous to count. We distributed
these products to over 10 food
pantries and agencies we serve.
St. Augustine Wellston Center is a
community outreach center committed to providing food, clothing,
medical help and utilities assistance to low income families. For
more than 20 years, the Wellston
Center has been a beacon of hope
for the working poor who need a
little extra help to make ends
meet. Sister Carol, Sister Mary and
Sister Kathy accomplish this with
the center’s Food Pantry, Thrift
Store, individual guidance and
programs that are uniquely suited
for the community.
Food Pantry…Making a Difference
Family by Family.
The food pantry serves 350 to 400
families each month. Families must
show documentation of residency,
income, etc. The typical member
family is comprised of a single
mother or grandmother, who is
parenting grandchildren and who
has a low income. In addition,
Wellston Center serves the elderly
poor living in subsidized senior
housing units.

The Wellston Center purchases over $3,000 in food
each week to distribute to
their member families.
 In addition, they receive donated bakery goods, primarily
from Caritas Connections and
Dierberg’s on Olive, as well as
items from food drives.
Thrift Store…Helping to Fund the
Food Pantry
The Thrift Store is located in the
same building as the Food Pantry
and features clothes, shoes, furniture, toys, and household items.
The Thrift Store is open to the
public on Friday and Saturday
mornings and the proceeds are
used to fund food purchases.
Individual Guidance…Making a
Difference Individual by Individual
As problems arise, members contact one of the Sisters who works
with them to get help. The Sisters,
in addition to offering advice, connect the individual with someone
who can help them. If they’re facing eviction, an attorney can be
found who can represent the person pro bono. In urgent healthcare
cases, the Sisters work to find volunteer doctors, specialists, dentists, surgeons and/or treatments
from hospitals. They connect the
“unconnected” to resources and
alternatives.
Community Outreach…Making a
Big Difference in the Community
Here are two way the Wellston
Center makes a positive difference
in the lives of the Center’s families.

Grandmothers’ Group. Grandparents who are parenting
their grandchildren are invited
to join a special support group
that meets once a month at
the Wellston Center. The
group discusses problems, gets
advice from guest speakers
about key life issues and acts
as a social club to help these
grandmothers interact with
each other and know they
aren’t alone.

Christmas Club. Each December, the Thrift Store is transformed into a Christmas Department Store. Decorations
are put up, and brand new
donated merchandise is
brought in. Toys. Clothes.
Household Goods. Electronics.
The Center becomes a complete department store with
new gifts at a fraction of their
true cost. Family representatives are accompanied through
the store with an assigned
“Personal Shopper,” who
knows how much money the
family has to spend and how
much has been allocated
(based on family size and income) to the family by the
Center. This opportunity for
families to purchase Christmas
gifts for their loved ones at a
discounted price is truly a gift
for everyone.
For More Information or Donations.
For additional information or if
you would like to make a donation
to the St. Augustine Wellston Center, please contact Sister Carol at
314-382-7158.
Thank you to our
generous Donors
Clayton’s Bakery & Deli
Costco Wholesale Bakery
Dunkin’ Donuts
Einstein Bros. Bagels
Elite Catering
Flowers Bakery
Great Harvest Bread Co
Jimmy Johns
Local Harvest Grocery
Merb’s Candies
McArthur’s Bakery
Panera Bread
Pate Distributing
Pizza Hut
Ratermann & Assoc. Inc
Ritz-Carlton
Schnucks
Starbucks
Donate Your Laptop and
Improve Someone’s Future
Do you have a laptop less than 5 years old sitting unused on a shelf? If so, this used laptop can be given a
fresh start by donating it to the St. Louis Federal Probation Office’s educational program for use by exoffenders in continuing their education.
The St. Louis U.S. Probation Office's Operation Reach Higher is an educational program for ex-offenders to obtain their GED, associate degree, vocational certificate or even a college degree. This program has proven that exoffenders who complete their education rarely re-offend.

Every laptop we receive is wiped clean and reloaded with software by
the St. Louis Federal Probation Office.
 Printers less than 5 years old are also welcome.
 All donations are eligible for tax deductions.
 To learn more about the program or donations, please give Caritas a call
at 314-225-2605.
Caritas Connection is a 501(c)(3), and all donations are tax deductible.
Caritas Connections, Inc.
PO Box 31072
Saint Louis, MO 63122
Throwing away your extras?
If you know of an organization who has an excess of food or paper products, please
contact us to arrange how we can pick up the excess and distribute it to those in
need.
The following are some items that are most needed by the people we serve.






canned goods, particularly meals in a can
canned fruit and vegetables
paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex
laundry detergent
personal care products
Shop N Save and Gas Gift Cards
Caritas Connections
Board of Directors
Fr. Tom Bryon
Mike Braig
Margot Hirlinger
Madeline Neuner
Steve Proscino
Gayle Stratmann
S ome of the agencies we serve are:
St Augustine Wellston Center
Guardian Angel Settlement
St. Vincent De Paul College Church
St Cecilia Food Pantry
Little Sisters of the Poor
The Catholic Workers
Grace Hill The Patch Center
St Louis Crisis Nursery
The Family Center of East St Louis
Visitation St Ann Food Pantry
Caritas Center in Normandy
To make a tax deductible contribution, to contact
us, or to learn more about Caritas Connections, Inc.
Caritas Connections, Inc.
PO Box 31072
Saint Louis, MO 63122
314-225-2605
www.caritasconnections.com
[email protected]

Download Report