Our Mission

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Catholic Philadelphia Outreach

1546318_398848683597628_448939870356001210_n  10523574_350463958436101_1194366562383642477_n

Catholic Philadelphia Outreach brings difficult-to-come-by items directly to the doorsteps of those living in poverty in Philadelphia. We have delivered countless air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, microwaves, and other smaller appliances to residents. We have distributed infant formula, food, clothing, toys, furniture, and many other goods, and we look forward to receiving many more donations, as the needs are endless. CPO serves homeless shelters and housing projects as well as the “working poor”—people who are working but struggling to make ends meet, and who make just enough not to qualify for government assistance.

1622697_362908780524952_238796570972953940_n  10559686_350463841769446_5602987043003410931_n

We develop “block captains” in different neighborhoods—those who are willing and able to tell us who they know on their block who is most in need of help, especially children, the elderly, the home bound, and those with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Most if not all of the homes we have visited are in need of basic appliances, and in the heat of the summer and freezing cold of the winter it becomes a dangerous situation for many of our neighbors. We recognize that even if they had the money to purchase some of these items, without a car there is no way for them to get the items to their doorstep. This is the gap that Catholic Philadelphia Outreach seeks to fill.

10423932_350462698436227_6512081602029126641_n  10422181_386930731456090_5354524348305390873_n

We have built professional collaborations with Woodstock Family Center, a homeless shelter for women and children, and Kailo Haven, a homeless shelter for men, both in North Philadelphia. We have received generous donations collected at our drives at Holy Martyrs Parish in Oreland, Ancillae-Assumpta Academy in Wyncote, Upper Dublin Golf and Fitness Club in Upper Dublin, and City Blue in Philadelphia, as well as through the generosity of individuals who use our Go Fund Me account that is dedicated to CPO.

10603638_362907653858398_1348269148570723571_n  10547623_390072564475240_1683292988935254548_n

In Fall 2014 we did a coat giveaway on the corner of Kensington and Allegheny, followed by a huge Christmas party for the kids at Woodstock Family Center a few days before Christmas. We then followed up with a 2015 Valentine’s Day “Love Drop”  at Kailo Haven in North Philadelphia.

We are devoted to identifying areas of greatest need in Philadelphia, creating lists through word of mouth and block captains, as well as to forming alliances with local churches and parishes who wish to partner with us by coordinating needs with our growing resources.

10660103_359719757510521_2581462127799182079_n  12522_359679170847913_4512343222986988533_n

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some people will hear today”. ― St. Francis of Assisi

All images © 2015 Catholic Philadelphia Outreach.

Posted in mission | 1 Comment

Living on the Street: Two Months Can Be an Eternity

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Catholic Philadelphia Outreach

10430428_350466135102550_7891495562660697247_n 10570551_350462291769601_3858814974487572795_n

We met this young lady in an unnamed part of Philadelphia in June 2014. She approached our car with a look of expectation, and so we rolled down the window to talk to her. She said she had a dog with her, whom she had rescued when it was chained up to a fence and left to die. She told us she was going to move to another state and become a veterinarian. She said she had plans. She was going to make a better life for herself.

Then we asked her where she was living, and she said it was in “The Hole.” At first she was going to show us and we were going to go with her to see her living conditions, but then she thought about it and became evasive. It became evident that she didn’t want “The Hole” to be discovered, thus putting her and the other girls living there at risk. After some back and forth I asked her why. What was she doing here? How did she get to this place?

“I made a lot of bad choices in my life,” she said.

We finally told her, “We are coming back for you. We are going to come back to this corner and we are going to find you and bring you something.” As we drove away, tears began to fall. It was our first real semi in-depth conversation with a person literally living out on the street and begging for money.

The day we left we bought a backpack and filled it with clothing and other nonperishable supplies. But the crush of everyday life set in, and the little black backpack sat in our car for entirely too long. It was not until August that we returned.

This time there was another young lady standing on the same corner, holding a different cardboard sign. We soon learned she was one of the young ladies living in “The Hole” and we asked earnestly to see our young friend from last June. She immediately ran across the street to get her.

We went over to the Hess station to wait for her. When she came into view we were shocked to see the difference between the bright-eyed but hungry girl in June and the now harrowed and shaking girl wearing men’s clothing, inside out and backwards, and barely able to focus on us, though she clearly stated that she remembered us.

Heroin. Young lives teetering between life and death on the mean streets of Philadelphia. This is a shock to people who are insulated from it, but we must not hide our faces from it. This is the ugly face of poverty, addiction, prostitution, and hopelessness.

Catholic Philadelphia Outreach is dedicated to bringing to life stories such as these. We want to remind everyone of the humanity of each and every person we meet who is in dire situations, each one unique, each one with a story to tell. They aren’t “the homeless,” some monolithic entity without a face. They are you and me. They are Christ.

All images © 2015 Catholic Philadelphia Outreach.

Posted in homelessness | Leave a comment