Story - November 4, 2019 - Matt Nevins received a call from an unfamiliar Pinellas County number. He usually dismisses such calls, but something in his gut made him check on this one. He searched for Catholic Charities Adoption Services numbers, but none matched. Then there was a voicemail from Melissa Anderson, one of the adoption professionals. “There was some excitement…

Story - November 16, 2020 - Adoption is always a family affair, but for Matt and Carrie Bunkowske, it has become a family tradition, too. Matt was adopted in 1979 as an infant through Catholic Social Services. His sister, Melanie, arrived four years later when Jill and Duane Bunkowske adopted their second child from CSS. Adoptions run in Carrie’s family, too.…

Story - October 30, 2018 - Matthew came to Commonwealth Catholic Charities (CCC) at the urging of a friend who had seen Matthew’s abusive behavior toward his wife, Tiffany. Matthew acknowledged that his emotionally and physically-abusive behavior hindered a healthy relationship with his wife and created an unhealthy home environment for their young daughter. Because he had grown up in the…

Prayer & Reflection - March 9, 2024 - Come, let us return to the LORD, it is he who has rent, but he will heal us; he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.Hosea 6:1 Like many children, I enjoyed playing “doctor” as a child. Once, I made a paper doll. I cut a wound in her abdomen and proceeded to…

News - June 23, 2016 - Today the Supreme Court, by a 4-4 vote, allowed a lower court decision to stand which blocks the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) executive actions. “While today’s split opinion does not decide the ultimate validity of the DACA and DAPA programs, it does…

Story - September 13, 2018 - Rayenell admits to messing up his marriage and a good, long-term job. “After that, I just didn’t care anymore; I wanted to be left alone.” The Illinois native endured 20 years of homelessness. “Indoors, outdoors, on the river and it wasn’t anybody’s fault but mine.” Over the years, Rayenell learned how to get what he…

Story - November 10, 2020 - Kelly Miller works with people coming out of prison, helping them find housing, jobs and whatever else they need to be successful as they reintegrate back into society. She knows how hard it can be to find affordable housing. And because she works for a social services nonprofit in New Jersey, she can fully empathize…

Story - September 15, 2015 - One-third to one-half of ex-offenders re-offend and return to prison within three years of their release. Part of the problem is their lack of connection with their community, which is why helping ex-offenders establish a connection is at the heart of the two prison re-entry programs run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque…

Story - December 1, 2021 - By Maura Sullivan Hill When Sister Jen Berridge visits patients in their rooms at Wheeling Hospital, more often than not she comes bearing gifts: a box of groceries, paper goods, and hygiene products from the on-site Catholic Charities food pantry for the patient to take home.  As the Hospital Transition Program case manager for Catholic Charities West Virginia (CC WVa.), Sister Jen supports vulnerable West Virginians to ensure a safe and…

Story - June 24, 2021 - With pandemic restrictions easing as summer approaches, people from Princeton to Palmyra are planning road trips, parties, and more. Tricia Risley is brushing up on motherhood. Tricia lost custody of her daughter eight years ago because of her mental illness. But now 15-years-old, her daughter is coming to live with Tricia for the summer –…

Story - June 25, 2018 - In just one year, Carl felt like he lost everything. Several family members passed away, he lost his job, and the mother of his four children ended their relationship. That’s when his battle with alcoholism began. “I felt like I had no one to go to, so I turned to the bottle and hit rock…

News - May 25, 2022 - Our hearts break for the families and friends of the shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas — young children and their teachers trapped in a classroom, a place of play and learning — and we hold them close in prayer. As a network of agencies that ministers to the most vulnerable among us, it is the…