Catholic Charities of Oregon has spent more than 90 years walking alongside our neighbors through life’s most difficult moments. In this month’s message, CEO Kaleen Deatherage reflects on the generosity of our community, why meeting immediate needs is only the beginning and how together we help people move beyond surviving to find lasting stability.
Every day, I have the privilege of seeing what happens when a community decides to show up for one another.
I see volunteers preparing meals. Donors giving what they can, even when their own budgets are tight. Staff walking alongside families navigating tremendous challenges. Parishes, businesses and neighbors choosing compassion over indifference.
It reminds me that Catholic Charities of Oregon has never been just an organization. For more than 90 years, it has been a community effort built on people who believe every person deserves dignity, opportunity and hope.
This year has not been an easy one so far.
Many of the people we serve are facing rising housing costs, food insecurity, uncertainty around immigration, and barriers that seem to grow more complicated every month. At the same time, we know many of our supporters are navigating those same economic realities in their own lives.
Even so, this community has continued to respond with incredible generosity.
You have donated clothing for women experiencing homelessness. You have filled food pantries, volunteered your time, welcomed refugee families, supported our Summer of Stability campaign and made countless acts of kindness possible.
That generosity deserves recognition. It reminds me that Oregon remains a place where people care deeply about one another and believe we all have a role to play in building stronger communities.
The Difference Between Surviving and Thriving
Much of our work is made possible through grants, government contracts and foundation support. These partnerships are essential, and we are deeply grateful for them.
But those funding sources are often designed to accomplish one very specific purpose. They might provide food, housing assistance, legal representation or case management. They help meet an immediate need.
What they often don’t provide are the things that transform stability into long-term success.
A bus pass that gets someone to a new job. Household items that turn an apartment into a home, Clothing for a job interview. Translation services. Extra time spent helping someone navigate an unfamiliar system. A meal shared with dignity instead of simply calories served.
Those moments don’t always fit neatly into a grant budget. Yet they are often the very things that help someone move beyond crisis and begin building a future.
We’ve learned over nine-plus decades that while many organizations help people survive, communities like ours help people thrive.
Every Gift Matters
One misconception about organizations like ours is that the resources are simply there — that someone else is covering the cost.
The truth is much simpler.
Every year, we work to raise the resources needed to continue serving our neighbors. Every meal, every outreach visit, every legal consultation, every welcome basket, every supportive conversation is made possible because people choose to invest in this mission.
There is no single funding source that makes this work happen. It is hundreds of people making hundreds of decisions to care for someone they might never meet.
That is both humbling and inspiring.
We Fill the Gaps Together
Over the last 93 years, Catholic Charities has adapted to meet changing needs, but one thing has remained constant. We are often called to step into the spaces where other systems end.
Sometimes those gaps are large. Sometimes they are surprisingly small. But to the person standing in front of us, those gaps can mean everything.
Our mission has never been simply to help people get by.
It is to help them find stability, rebuild confidence, strengthen families and discover new opportunities.
That work belongs to all of us.
As we continue through our Summer of Stability campaign, thank you for making that work possible. Thank you for believing that every person deserves more than simply getting through today. Together, we can help our neighbors build a stronger tomorrow.
With gratitude,
Kaleen Deatherage, CEO/Catholic Charities of Oregon
Donate to our Summer of Stability campaign.