Catholic Charities’ new location provides hope and support

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Catholic Charities has opened a satellite office to assist those in need in the Flour Bluff area of Corpus Christi with a food pantry, clothing, diapers and referrals. 

Jessica Morrison for South Texas Catholic

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Catholic Charities has opened a satellite office to assist those in need in the Flour Bluff area of Corpus Christi with a food pantry, clothing, diapers and referrals. The new office also connects clients to additional Catholic Charities services, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), family and individual counseling, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), immigration/refugee services and emergency aid.
 

Prior to the new location’s opening, the Catholic Charities’ Rural Outreach Program worked with parishioners and volunteers from St. Paul the Apostle and St. Andrew by the Sea to provide the local community a donation-based food pantry. These combined efforts helped address a pressing need identified by caring school teachers in the area. The teachers noticed that some elementary students had a need for food during the weekend,which led to the initiation of a “backpack” program by which food was sent home for those students in need.  

St. Paul the Apostle’s pastor, Father Peter Martinez, working with Linda McKamie, executive director of Catholic Charities, also identified a great need in the area for supplementation of staple items. St. Paul the Apostle provided a refurbished office on its grounds, and at the suggestion of Father Martinez, the initial goals included assisting with food, clothing and diapers. The two parishes of St. Paul the Apostle and St. Andrew by the Sea worked together to meet the needs of the local community.  
 

Office contact Catharine McNew helps distribute donated pastries to children. Jessica Morrison for South Texas Catholic

Both parishes elicited food, clothing donations and volunteers—via regular announcements at Mass and in church bulletins—to continue to help set up and run the new location.  

“We receive many great donations from St. Paul’s and St. Andrew’s, both of which have very active volunteers,” Flour Bluff Office case worker Catharine McNew said. “St. Andrew’s also contributes personal care items, which are especially valuable when, in a tough situation, a mother must forgo them in order to instead provide food for her children.”  

The food products are provided by the Food Bank of Corpus Christi, parishioner donations and local grocers. 

Catholic Charities has a long standing relationship with HEB to purchase overstocked goods, McKamie said.  This includes items such as baked bread and similar goods.  
“At the end of May, our new Flour Bluff location was recognized by the Food Bank, and so now we are also able to offer meats and fresh items [and]… so much more,” McKamie said. 

Catholic Charities rural outreach coordinator Gessete Salcido helps oversee the new location. “Several of our clients have recently lost jobs and are in need of reassurance that it is okay to ask for help. We want them to know that they do not need to be embarrassed or ashamed of needing assistance, because that is what we’re here for,” Salcido said. “For many families, there is a need to fill in the gaps between jobs to make ends meet.”

There is also a significant elderly population in the area on fixed income that—although they are used to living on a fixed income, because of changes, such as needing to raise young grandchildren—find themselves needing to supplement their income.”  

“Men that come in are often victims of crime, having had their IDs or personal documents stolen or lost, making them vulnerable to similar future situations,” Salcido said. “We are extremely grateful to have facilities such as the Mother Teresa Shelter to help these individuals get back on their feet.”
 

Volunteer Kay Trial packages and prepares staple items for a mother and her children. Jessica Morrison for South Texas Catholic

Also among those in need are transient men and women who seek warmer areas such as the Coastal Bend to take refuge during the winter months.  Salcido said many people and families are living in cars and are not enrolled to receive government assistance. Most people need information. Many know that Catholic Charities has a food pantry, but not a lot are familiar with the range of services that Catholic Charities offers, Salcido said.

“We assist in online applications for financial aid, rent, utility and cell phone assistance programs and we strive to help families meet their nutritional needs with limited income,” she said.  

The satellite office also offers classes on topics, such as nutrition awareness, shopping for nutritious foods on a budget and healthy eating. Clients are guided in money management workshops and nutritional practices.  

“We are trying to improve people’s lives, not simply hand out food,” Salcido said.  
The Flour Bluff Catholic Charities office, located at 2233 Waldron Road, is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., except holidays and holy days. The office is accessed from the Hustling Hornet Road entrance, opposite from St. Paul the Apostle Church.