– [Dave] In Dallas County alone, over 50% of our residents live in poverty, or on the edge of it. And are literally just one paycheck away from that next problem, that next disaster. Whether it’s a rent check that needs to be made, or a utility bill that came in higher than they expected. Any one of those things can put them over the edge, and put them further into poverty. It’s hard, and that’s where Catholic Charities really comes to help. To be that refuge, that place of welcome. That place that encourages somebody with a hand up, to get them to that next place in their journey.
– [Mark] Nobody wants to be homeless. I mean, it’s a horrible situation. It’s easy as falling of a log, but it’s like trying to climb Mount Everest to get out of it, and back to a normal life. There were times that I, you know, just contemplated suicide. I was blessed, then, to have my case manager suggest I move here. This place is just absolutely wonderful. I have a quality of life now that I didn’t ever think I’d have again. I don’t take anything for granted anymore, and I wake up every day, and I’m glad I’m here. No matter how bad things get, if you don’t give up, eventually things will get better.
– [Celestine] In the movies, they show debris, and everything coming up, and then you maybe see the tornado. This thing was fast. You just hear people screaming. And I’m thinking the worst, I’m thinking maybe somebody’s trapped under something. I was terrified. My name is Celestine Okinagway, I make music here in Dallas. Because of unfortunate circumstances with the family, basically I was living out of my studio every day. When it first hit, ’cause I didn’t know if we were gonna make it, I did my small prayer. I’m at the door, door wouldn’t open. Finally opens, just, I look back in the parking lot and it’s just destroyed. You don’t even see dust settling, like everything’s just gone. Ceiling tiles are coming down, hitting you in the face. Basically rooms are collapsing. All my equipment is here, all my livelihood. Catholic Charities, they literally picked me up out of the studio, put me in an apartment, made sure I was able to get a stable income, helped me get groceries, they helped me get a mattress. They helped me just get back on my feet completely. Without that, I woulda probably been on the street. They did more than enough. Like, more than enough. And that’s all I needed.
– [Terry] I know what it feels like to be hungry. Coming from a third world country, I grew up being hungry. It is a physical pain. With Parkinson and cancer, you lose your appetite. It’s very difficult to swallow. That’s what’s happening to my voice. I come to the food program to get fresh fruits, vegetables. It’s very difficult for me to go to the grocery store even if I had the money to go, because, I can’t make it down all those aisles. There are so many people involved, that volunteer their time, their strength, their efforts, to get it to us. It fills a tremendous need. I don’t think anybody should ever turn away a hungry person.
– [Maria] My principal concern is my son, so I want the best for him. My name is Maria Benevides. He’s my son, he’s Allen. One friend told me about this program, and I wanted to learn English. And here, he made a lot of friends. He has a collection, 45 to 50 books. Every night, he reads a different book. Together, we learn, it’s the best program, because, if you wanna improve your English, if you wanna help your children, you have to come as well.
– You’ve heard the stories, you’ve seen the pictures. There’s so many people in our community that need our help. And Catholic Charities’ doing so much to respond to that need. Truth is, we can’t do it without you. We truly hope you’ll step in, and step up, and help us to continue to do the good work Catholic Charities is doing in our community, each and every day.
