Stories of suffering and need are never ending

Riviera resident Victoria Elizondo feeds her animals as Catholic Charities’ Gessete Salcido looks on. Salcido, who works for Rural Outreach Services, helped Elizondo acquire a septic tank with the help of a donor.

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic
 

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Eighty-year-old Victoria Elizondo has lived a stormy life. She had a strict upbringing and her mother left the family when Elizondo was just nine. At 17, her father married her off to a stranger in the military who took her from her home in Rosebud, Texas to a military base in Hawaii.

She gave birth to seven children before the physical and mental abuse from her husband became too severe. With seven children in tow, she finally left, moving to San Diego, California, where she worked two jobs to provide for her family.

“I went through hell and back raising my kids,” Elizondo said. “But God never left me. I never gave up and never looked back.”

Just a few short weeks ago, Elizondo—who now lives in a rural area of Riviera just outside of Kingsville—was living in a trailer home with no septic system. An employee at CHRISTUS Spohn Kleberg alerted Catholic Charities of her plight and thanks to a special anonymous donor, a septic tank was installed on her property.

Gessete Salcido, outreach coordinator in the Rural Outreach Department of Catholic Charities noted that this was a special circumstance and that every situation is unique. 

“This particular situation alarmed us because she was using a bucket in the place of a bathroom. She also has an adult son with a disability living with her,” she said. “We’ve never assisted a client with a septic system before, but in this situation, it was a health risk, especially considering her age.”
 

Salcido helps Kingsville resident Barbara Pate through a ‘rough patch’. Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

The Rural Outreach Department assists clients in a the 12-county area within the Diocese of Corpus Christi with a variety of services, including help applying for governmental assistance and delivering food to families in crisis. Once they even hosted a cooking class. Salcido travels into rural areas throughout the diocese at least three to four times a week.

“It’s always different,” Salcido said. “No two days are ever the same. I love everything about my job. Everybody has a different story and it makes me feel good at the end of the day knowing I’m making a difference.”

She also attends health fairs and organizes speaking engagements to let the community know about the important work Catholic Charities does for all residents, especially in historically under served rural areas.

“I’ve assisted families in the colonias, especially after a heavy rain, when their houses flooded completely and they needed crucial assistance with replacing furniture or obtaining safe drinking water,” she said.

Kingsville resident Barbara Pate met with Salcido at St. Gertrude’s Church recently, accompanied by her four-month-old granddaughter. Salcido assisted Pate in completing an application for emergency food stamps for her family.

“I’m thankful for the assistance, although I’m sure we won’t need the help for long. This is just a rough patch, but we’ll get through it,” Pate said.

Salcido said there was also an instance where she assisted a woman and her children apply for food stamps and Medicaid, because the husband was deported to Mexico. 
The stories of suffering and need are never ending, but for Salcido, it is all in a day’s work.

“I helped a young woman in her early 20s who had just left an abusive relationship from out-of-state. She had a nine-month-old child with her and both left home with only the clothes on their backs. We helped her with some emergency clothes, diapers, formula and other necessities for the baby. I also helped her apply for Medicaid and Food Stamps,” Salcido said.

Meanwhile, Elizondo is thrilled with her new septic tank, which now allows her to use a restroom indoors, with a brand new toilet.

“Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus!” Elizondo exclaimed. “God has been amazing to me and I’m so thankful for all of his blessings. I’ve had a hard life, but it’s been a blessing. I have no anger in my heart toward anyone, just thankfulness for the blessings.”

Salcido added it warms her heart to see positive outcomes like the situation with the septic tank. She will continue checking on Elizondo, due to her advanced age and the rural area she lives in, which has limited access to the outside world.

“I meet clients like this everyday. It amazes me how Ms. Elizondo is not upset about all of the many hardships she has endured in life. It makes me more appreciative about what I have,” Salcido said. “It makes me realize the little things in life that annoy me are just that…minor annoyances. There are people out there with a lot less, making due, making the best of it.”