A New YEAR with Heartstrings of HOPE!

2024 "Heartstrings of Hope Gala"

(Annual Tribute Dinner)

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Chase Center on the Riverfront

815 Justison Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

Registration: 5pm

Dinner & Drinks

Live Band performance by Tweed DOGs, including

retired Catholic Charities Executive Director Fritz Jones,

playing classic rock and blues!

Business Attire • Reserved Seating

Tickets: $195 (per person)

This will not be a virtual event in 2024.

For more information, contact Stephanie Kelton at [email protected].

Jennifer Trager, Program Manager at Seton Center, and staff members work to identify and respond to the needs of local residents, the Hispanic community, and the area’s migrant farm workers.

Catholic Charities Seton Center

Helping Those in Need in Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore

Since the early 1980’s, Seton Center has been helping the community and creating hope in Princess Anne in Somerset County, the poorest county in the State of Maryland. Seton Center is a multi-purpose neighborhood community center that includes a basic needs program with case management, a food cooperative, an emergency food pantry and a thrift center.

Learn about the Good Works of Catholic Charities Seton Center on Catholic Forum

On the January 6th episode of Catholic Forum on Relevant Radio 640 AM, Stephanie Kelton, Fund Development and Public Relations Manager for Catholic Charities, talked with Jennifer about some of the stories and successes at Seton Center over the past few years.

Catholic Forum can be heard every Saturday afternoon at 1:30 pm on Relevant Radio 640 AM and is podcast on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music. A video of this interview is available on at youtube.com/DioceseofWilm.

To hear the Catholic Forum Relevant Radio Podcast, click here.

Generous Donations Provide For Needy Families

A big thank you to all of the community members who made charitable food and clothing donations! With your support, the Catholic Charities Seton Center was able to provide foods for holiday meals, toys for all ages, cozy pajamas, warm coats, socks, hats, gloves as well as various hygiene and household bags to 165 families! In addition, the Seton Center Christmas Program provided 32 meals to local families.

For more information about Seton Center, click here.

To make an online donation to Seton Center, click here. In the drop down, designate your gift to Seton Center. Thank you for your support!

We Appreciate Your Continued Support!

What Bayard House Means to Me

A Bayard House Client Testimonial

How You Can Help Bayard House

Host a Baby Clothing, Shower or Food Drive!

It's so easy! Host a baby food drive, baby clothing drive, or even host a baby shower! As the host, pick a date and location. Invite your family members, friends, neighbors, or local civic group to attend! Have them bring new, baby items to donate for new and expecting moms.

Maybe looking for a different way to help? Parents of babies and toddlers always need diapers! Host a 'Diaper Drive' to collect disposable diapers and pull-ups.

To learn more about Bayard House Program or for more info about hosting a drive, click here.

To make an online donation online, click here. In the drop down, designate your gift to the Bayard House ministry. Thank you for your support!

Catholic Charities Receives Four Grants

Supporting Basic Needs, Homelessness Prevention

and Behavioral Health Services

Home4Good Awards $150,000 to Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities received a $150,000 grant from the Home4Good program to support the agency’s Homelessness Prevention Program from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024. Home4Good is jointly offered by the FHLB-Pittsburgh and the Delaware State Housing Authority. Home4Good helps those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness by channeling dollars to local service organizations that know how to help.

With the funds, Catholic Charities will continue to work with low and very low income individuals to address conditions which threaten housing security. In this post-pandemic economy, prices of basic needs have increased dramatically. Simultaneously, many people are experiencing job losses or a reduction in working hours. The threat of homelessness is now impacting individuals who previously believed that they were secure in their shelters, forcing many to rely on support for the first time. Catholic Charities will use the grant to reduce homelessness by providing evidence based services to reduce poverty, provide safe shelter, and encourage self-sufficiency through financial assistance, case management, and referrals to community services.

According to Fritz Jones, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, “Catholic Charities is grateful to the Home4Good Program for supporting the ongoing provision of critical services focused on helping the most vulnerable members of our community remain securely housed.”

Laffey-McHugh Foundation Awards $75,000 to Catholic Charities

The Laffey-McHugh Foundation awarded a $75,000 grant to Catholic Charities for the Basic Needs Program. Catholic Charities will use this grant to support underserved low income families and individuals with case management, financial assistance, and community service referrals. In this challenging post-pandemic economy where unemployment, underemployment, and the cost of living all skyrocketed, many people are in imminent danger of eviction, foreclosure, or utility disconnections. The grant will provide Catholic Charities financial support to help administer the basic needs program, which assists people to avoid homelessness, regain financial stability, and identify resources available to build a sustainable future.

Fritz Jones, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, said, “Catholic Charities gratefully acknowledges this generous support from The Laffey-McHugh Foundation. Catholic Charities Basic Needs Program dates back to the 1960s and cares for households with financial stressors jeopardizing permanent housing. The grant will allow Catholic Charities to continue to support low-income households who need help paying for basic living expenses.”

Highmark Delaware Fund Awards $44,000 to Catholic Charities

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware is pleased to award Catholic Charities with a BluePrints for the Community grant to support Access to Behavior Health Services for Very Low to Low Income Families program. BluePrints for the Community, housed by the Delaware Community Foundation, has contributed over $35 million to the community since its inception in 2007. It was established to increase access to care and reduce health care disparities in Delaware.

“Highmark has been actively engaged in supporting not just members, but all Delawareans, in navigating the challenges of Medicaid redeterminations. Highmark is grateful to Catholic Charities for all they do for our neighbors and ensuring affordable access to behavioral health as we continue to address the impact of recent Medicaid changes. We thank our colleagues at Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware and BluePrints for the Community for assisting with this important work,” said Todd Graham, president of Highmark Health Options.

Fritz Jones, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, notes “Catholic Charities is grateful for the $44,000 grant provided by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware. This award will allow Catholic Charities to continue providing support for low income families in our community by offering affordable behavioral health services.”

Catholic Charities Awarded Grant from Citizens Bank

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington received a $10,000 grant from Citizens Bank to support the Basic Needs Program. Catholic Charities will assist individuals of low income to reduce poverty, prevent homelessness, and encourage self-sufficiency through financial assistance, case management, and referrals to community services. In this post-pandemic economy where the cost of living has skyrocketed, many people are threatened by eviction, foreclosure, or utility disconnections. The program offers hope for families and provides support to create sustainable financial security.

Citizens Helping Citizens is rooted in the belief that when people and communities reach their potential, we all thrive. Through the Citizens Helping Citizens initiative, time, resources and talent are invested to support the communities in which we live and work.

“Catholic Charities is proud to partner with Citizen’s Bank to share our resources with the most vulnerable among us. We have a lot of work to do and this grant from Citizens Bank helps us get that important work done,” said Fritz Jones, Executive Director.

Thank You to All Our Supporters & Partners!

We Appreciate the following Catholic Charities Partners

Rocco and Mary Abessinio, Applied Bank, Delaware Community Foundation, Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), Catholic Charities USA, Citizens Bank, Community Foundation of Eastern Shore, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB), Highmark Delaware Fund of the Delaware Community Foundation, Laffey-McHugh Foundation, Raskob Foundation, Somerset County Commissioners, State of Delaware - DSCYF, United Way of Delaware, and United Way of Lower Eastern Shore.

Catholic Charities serves the most vulnerable in Delaware and the

Eastern Shore of Maryland, regardless of religion, race, or ability to pay.

For more information about Catholic Charities, click here.

To make a donation to Catholic Charities, click here.

To learn about employment opportunities, click here.

To follow us on Facebook, click here.

Catholic Charities Mission

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington exists to help fulfill the Christian duty to love and serve God's people. Our mission is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The universal and local Church proclaims the Gospel and teaches the recognition of the dignity and sacredness of each human life and the belief that we are called to share our resources with the most vulnerable among us.

It is the mission of Catholic Charities to address human suffering and to promote and restore the well-being of people and society by:

Providing, as a primary focus, caring service to families and persons in need;
Coming together with members of the community to become informed about and to take action on critical social issues; and,
Advocating publicly for social policies which enhance human dignity and safeguard basic human rights.

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No person is excluded from service because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization