Food Assistance

Please Help “Stock the Pantry”

Catholic Charities Food Pantry currently supports over 3,000 households a year. In a single month, we distribute over 10,000 pounds of food, household goods and personal items, through our food pantries and cooperative programs.

Catholic Charities Stock the Pantry Drive is this month! During February, Catholic Charities locations will accept donations of nonperishable food, such as canned meats, soups, fruits, and vegetables; pasta, cereal, baking mixes; peanut butter, jelly; coffee, tea, powdered milk and more. We also welcome all cleaning products, sponges, paper goods, and personal care items like shampoo and soap.

In addition to nonperishable food and grocery store gift cards, Catholic Charities will also accept monetary donations in order to purchase additional items to fill bags for the food distribution programs. Each distribution is valued at $50.

We accept donations Monday – Friday, between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Click here for suggested donation items and drop-off locations in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties in Delaware and Somerset County in Maryland.

To make an online donation, click here. Kindly designate your gift to Food Assistance.

Thank you for your support and generosity as we continue to provide

for the growing demand in our Food Assistance programs.

How You Can Help

Donate to Our Food Pantry for Senior Citizens

The Catholic Charities’ Marydale Retirement Village provides housing for vulnerable senior citizens in a garden apartment community. Many of our resident's have financial restraints and find it challenging to purchase healthy food and common toiletries. Catholic Charities now offers a specialized food pantry to assist these individuals. We focus on providing them with smaller portions, that can be eaten in one or two sittings, as the residents only have small kitchens with limited storage. 

To help us fill this pantry, we ask for non-perishable items, such as canned tuna fish, salmon, chicken, small boxes of macaroni and cheese, small boxes of cereal, individual or small servings of fruit, vegetables, applesauce, pudding, oatmeal, peanut butter, jams, etc. We also welcome donations of toiletries such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, lotion, etc.

For more information or to make a donation, please call Cathy Weaver at 302-368-2784, ext.1601 or send an email to cweaver@marydalevillage.org. 

The Marydale Residents Thank You for Your Generous Support!

A Warm Welcome to Sr. Kathy Flood

Long Term Recovery Team Case Manager

Please join us in welcoming Sister Kathy Flood! She fills the role of Case Manager for Catholic Charities Long Term Recovery Program. The program, funded by Catholic Charities USA, assists survivors of the floods in Wilmington caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021 and helps numerous homeowners in restoring normalcy to their homes and lives.

Sr. Kathy Flood is a professed Sister of Saint Francis of Philadelphia. Following the completion of a graduate degree in pastoral clinical mental health counseling at Neumann University, Sr. Kathy has served in a variety of ministries including pastoral associate and mental health counselor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Brant Beach, NJ and vice president for student affairs and spiritual formation at the Franciscan School of Theology in San Diego, CA.  

Prior to answering the call to religious life, Sr. Kathy was an active member of the Good Shepherd Parish community in Perryville, MD and worked in the information technology industry, beginning as a software engineer and finally as lead information security engineer with the MITRE Corporation. 

April 27 2023 | 5 - 8 p.m. | Chase Center on the Riverfront

2023 Catholic Charities Annual Tribute Dinner

The celebration is only two months away! Catholic Charities will honor the Knights of Columbus Councils from Delaware and Maryland at our Annual Tribute Dinner.

Purchase your tickets now to share this exciting evening as Bishop Koenig presents the Knights Councils with the Msgr. Thomas J. Reese Award for Community Service!

About the Honorees | Knights of Columbus Councils from Delaware and Maryland

The mission of the Knights of Columbus is “Empowering Catholic men to live their faith at home, in their parish, at work and in their community.”

Knights of Columbus, Delaware State Council, are men who lead, serve, protect and defend, whether giving out “Coats for Kids,” lending a hand in disaster relief efforts, supporting local pregnancy centers by donating ultrasound machines or providing top-quality financial products. Similarly, the Maryland State Council supports the families, parishes, and communities in the nine Maryland counties of the Diocese of Wilmington.

These Knights live the motto, “Cry the Gospel with your Life!” to aid the poor, care for the needy, and strengthen the faith of their members and families. More than two million Knights of Columbus worldwide “Change Lives & Save Lives” through their charitable service and faith activities.

About the Award | Msgr. Thomas J. Reese

The award, created in 1989 in memory of Msgr. Thomas J. Reese, community activist and longtime director of Catholic Social Services, the forerunner of Catholic Charities, recognizes exemplary individuals who have demonstrated a deep commitment to promoting and restoring the well-being of people – Catholic Charities’ mission.

For more information on becoming an event sponsor, click here or contact Andrea Rotsch at arotsch@cdow.org or 302-573-3121.

(L to R) Cheryl Sanderlin, Bayard House Case Manager; Knight Jim Metz; Fritz Jones, Catholic Charities Executive Director; and Knight Maurice Sadowsky. 

Bayard House Receives “Life Saver Sunday” Donations

Many thanks to the St. Margaret of Scotland Knights of Columbus for their generous donation to Bayard House as part of Life Saver Sunday. Life Saver Sunday is normally conducted on the weekend of the Roe vs. Wade anniversary. The Knights handed out life saver candies and asked for donations to help support the Catholic Charities Bayard House.

Bayard House, a ministry of Catholic Charities, is a residential program for homeless pregnant and parenting women and teens. We are very grateful for the cash donations and diapers from parishioners along with a generous gift from the Knights of Columbus, St. David Council. 

We Thank You!

2022 Faith & Charity Catholic Appeal Breaks Record for

Support from Contributors in Diocese of Wilmington

Catholics gave a record amount to the 2022 Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal, Walking By Faith, supporting important ministries across the Diocese of Wilmington.

For the 2022 campaign, the appeal raised $5.592 million from pledges. The goal was $5 million. Twelve thousand five hundred thirty-two pledges were received. Based upon collections, 47 parishes exceeded fundraising goals. $450,723.00 will be rebated to parishes for their needs — based on their over-goal collection. Parishes supporting a school receive 100 percent of the over-goal collection. Parishes that do not support a school receive 50 percent of the amount collected over their goal.

“Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, pastors, and donors, thousands of people in need will find hope and healing through the faith and charity ministries of the Diocese of Wilmington,” said Bishop William Koenig.

To read The Dialog full article, click here.

“Give Where You Live”

Be Part of Delaware's Giving Day | March 2-3 2023

24 Hours to Donate:

Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m. - Friday, March 3 at 6 p.m.

Donations will help Catholic Charities serve the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. The hungry, homeless, those struggling to remain securely housed, persons trying to deal with a mental illness or emotional distress - all come to Catholic Charities for assistance.

Your gift will help to provide clients with food, shelter, financial coaching, mental health counseling, and case management support to overcome their distress and successfully become self-sufficient.

To donate to Catholic Charities during Do More 24 Delaware, click here.

Do More 24 Delaware is a 24-hour day of giving designed to help nonprofits raise more money and engage new donors. Do More 24 Delaware is powered by United Way of Delaware.

Catholic Charities, a Delaware sponsor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), works to help licensed childcare homes and centers to serve healthy, nutritious meals to children in their care.

Child & Adult Care Food Program

CACFP Week | March 12-18 2023

During National CACFP Week, March 12-18, Catholic Charities joins with Delaware family childcare providers in acknowledging the many ways our community benefits from the CACFP.

Good nutrition is the recipe for an all-around happier child. Children that are cared for by providers participating in the CACFP benefit by being fed nutritious meals that ensure their proper development while gaining early nutrition education to help establish positive eating habits for a lifetime.

Parents are assured that their children receive high quality meals. With proper nutrition, the child is less likely to experience illness and fatigue and will develop at a normal physical and intellectual pace.

Providers receive nutrition education and support services from their CACFP sponsor that help them serve nutritious meals and create a positive eating environment for children. The quality of childcare provided in our community is improved due to educational and financial resources available to caregivers through the CACFP.

Catholic Charities CACFP program supports 223 home providers

and 29 centers, serving more than 75,000 meals

to over 3,100 children each month.

To make an online donation, click here. Designate your donation to Food Assistance.

To learn more about Catholic Charities and CACFP, click here.

“My greatest accomplishment is that I am now giving the children brown rice and whole-grain pasta. I started a new menu, but I first began to eat the new foods myself. As the children watched me eating these new foods, they would ask me what I was eating. I would share with them. Now they are eager to try new foods. Now if I offer, they usually have no problem eating it!"

SPOTLIGHT - Basic Needs

Catholic Charities Positively Impacts Lives

Single dad, Ed* needed help. Working with his Basic Needs program caseworker, Ed learned how to reduce his mortgage rate, write a successful resumé, and find employment. He transformed himself to be a self-sufficient, working employee.  

To learn more about Catholic Charities Basic Needs Program, click here.

* Name change to protect client privacy.

Apply for Energy Assistance Through March 31

The cold months are here! The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered in Delaware by Catholic Charities, continues to accept applications for the current heating season.

This federally-funded program assists low-income Delawareans with heating bills through direct payments to home energy suppliers. The LIHEAP benefit is based on a household's income, size, and type of fuel. In order to apply, you must call the Catholic Charities office closest to you and schedule an appointment. You must reapply each year for the benefit.

Click here for more information or to download an application.

Thank You to All Our Supporters & Partners!

We Would Like to Recognize the following Catholic Charities Partners

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 becoming a Volunteer, 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.