I apologize for promising to discuss the FY2017 Budget with you this week and instead prioritizing another conversation, but with both the final weekend of Undie Sunday and our Simple Gesture food program going on simultaneously, I feel it is the perfect opportunity to describe more of the efforts our Parish Family takes on to feed, clothe, and support the poor in our local area. Pope Francis clearly illustrates our priority:
We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them. – Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium
For those who may not be familiar, St. John takes this mission to serve incredibly seriously. A Simple Gesture, where various ministries like the Ladies of Charity and the Boy Scouts collaborate to serve the greater good, has been seen around the area as a paragon of service. We have been providing between $6,000 and $10,000 worth of food to the local food pantries every other month, a persistent effort unheard of in Naples from a church until now. We constantly receive thanks for all our Parish Family does, and it is due to all of us working together. Thank you so much for your commitment that makes it successful all year long. Two other churches in the area are planning on implementing a Simple Gesture program here in Naples and Catholic Charities is going to bring it up North as well. If you have not gotten your blue bag, they are outside of Mass this weekend or can be picked up in our office at any time. Just put one grocery item from the list in your bag each time you go shopping and you will help to feed so many here in Naples.
The abject poverty that is clearly seen on the surface as you drive through Immokalee, only 30 miles away from the doors of our church, moves our hearts and souls. We have so many tremendous efforts already underway to minister and uplift those in need there, and my unending thanks goes out to the countless volunteers that dedicate their time, their talents, and their treasure for the migrants and homeless that fill Immokalee. It is a clear and present focus for St. John and our Immokalee Missions Team to serve and improve the conditions in that local area.
However, the pain of hunger and the shivering fear of homelessness is even closer than Immokalee. In some discussions recently with Collier County Catholic Charities, they made it clear that they are attempting to serve the working poor in Naples and are struggling to meet the need. Did you know that there are over 900 children that are either homeless or unable to be sustained at a basic level in Naples? That’s right, not in Collier County, right here in Naples. The United Way commissioned a study called the ALICE Report, which provides some startling findings. ALICE stands for: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Basically, it is the working poor. These are the families that just do not make enough money with single or dual incomes to sustain a minimum standard of living. They are choosing between paying rent and buying groceries. They are only getting prescriptions when absolutely necessary and having to forgo their electricity bill. This study illustrates that these issues are incredibly close to St. John. 44% of Naples Park live at this ALICE level or below. 37% of Pine Ridge lives with this fear that one small issue, a car accident, a sickness, can cause a tailspin in their life that could bring them to homelessness.
These are the families that Catholic Charities needs assistance in providing the “hand-up”, not “hand-out”. The new Judy Sullivan Resource Center, housed in the old Social Security Building near the government center on Airport Pulling and 41, has been established to do exactly that. This is the location where all the Undie Sunday donations go. They provide bikes, English classes, and veteran support programs in the Center. It is also a new food pantry that is a “choice” pantry. A choice pantry allows the recipients to select their own food that will work for their family, rather than receiving a bag that may contain items unusable for them. It is more like a grocery store and gives the recipients not only choice, but a feeling self-worth in being able to find the best options for their needs. This location is in desperate need of support, and it is our responsibility as Catholics and as members of the human race to assist them in their missions.
One mission that we can immediately support is their Power Pack Program. Last year, Catholic Charities was able to provide weekend meals to 280 children in Naples that only have food when they attend school. While they can be sustained with the free and reduced meal programs during the school day, they go hungry over the weekend since their families cannot feed them. This program has a unique set of food requirements, as the pack is filled with individual meal and snack items for two full days of breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Large food donations are not helpful. Harry Chapin donations do not provide for these types of prepared food containers. However, our Simple Gesture program can. These are items that we can easily pick up in the grocery stores when we are shopping. Single serving fruit cups, ravioli, animal crackers, Spaghettios, applesauce, and other items that have been added to our blue Simple Gesture shopping bag list will go to Catholic Charities to ensure they can feed as many children as possible over the weekends so they can study and focus on school rather than on the uncontrollable hunger in their bellies.
Please continue to join us in fighting poverty and hunger right in our own backyard. God bless you all for all you do!