Serving the impoverished and most under-served citizens of the State of Maryland, Catholic Charities of Baltimore has always been a natural partner for the Annual Appeal, with a portion of each year’s Appeal funds being allocated in support of its mission.Offering 80 separate programs of service in 200 locations throughout our state, Catholic Charities is a profound force for good, providing outreach to hundreds of thousands of people each year. Thanks to generous donors to the Appeal for Catholic Ministries, one such program, Sarah’s House, is helping some of Anne Arundel County’s poorest residents find a way out of poverty and homelessness in which many, unfortunately, can find themselves trapped.
Offering shelter, meals, counseling, and seminars to give their clients a leg-up on future job searches, Sarah’s House’s multi-faceted approach is helping families get back on their feet.
“They built up my confidence,” one such client, Stephanie R., says. “They’re like little cheerleaders. Sarah’s House and their people are very encouraging, and they offer so many classes [including] parenting classes. They helped me with my parenting, and they offered me therapy that helped me build up my own strength within and build up my self-confidence to know that I can be self-sufficient.”
Though Sarah’s House does have other revenue streams to cover its basic needs, Annual Appeal funds help pay for, as its Manager of Client Services, Kelly Anderson, calls them, “the extras.” Don’t let that phrasing fool you, however.
These “extras” can include: classes, like the one on parenting offered to Stephanie or other seminars on budgeting, conflict resolution, and literacy just to name a few; or even just the uniform required of a new employee enthusiastically entering the workforce for the first time. If Sarah’s House is the “shelter in the storm,” Appeal funds that support it help those who are storm-battered find the courage to venture out into the world again.
“I don’t see what you can buy that’s better than somebody’s self-worth,” Stephanie says. Thanks to generous Appeal donors, many in the Anne Arundel County community, those lacking most in terms of material resources, have been the beneficiaries of this priceless gift.
