giving thanks.

From all of us at Catholic Charities, we want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! On this holiday of gratitude and family, we hope you have the chance to rest and reconnect with the people you love most, whether that’s an intimate gathering of friends or a big family feast.

Catholic Charities has so much to be thankful for this year, and you, our supporters, are at the top of that list. The need in our community is great, and you make it possible for us to serve all of the diverse groups of people in our community who come to us looking for help. You enable us to help seniors live independently and provide strong family and educational foundations for children. Our supporters allow us to reach people working to overcome substance use disorders, mental illness and physical disabilities. With your help, we bring immigrants into mainstream American life and honor veterans by providing homes and holistic care.

A Holiday for Families

Of course, your support also helps us serve families who are not celebrating Thanksgiving in their own homes this year. Often, homeless families in our community go unseen. Rather than sleeping on the streets, they are more likely to sleep in shelters, stay the night in their cars, or apartment hop between friends, families and acquaintances. Family homelessness is traumatic, and makes it difficult for parents to find jobs and kids to succeed in school.

That’s why we’re also thankful this year for a grant from the Day 1 Families Fund that will help us serve even more homeless families. The grant brings us one step closer to opening a new permanent supportive apartment building for homeless families, the Gonzaga Family Haven. The grant will also allow us to increase services for families throughout our service area.

A Holiday for Thanks

Our goal is for every family in Eastern Washington to be able to sit down for Thanksgiving at their own table and give thanks for a roof over their heads. As we serve our many other clients, we want to make sure they are thankful, too. Thankful for companionship. Thankful for a nurturing family. Thankful for healing.

We are thankful for your support of all this work. Enjoy a happy and safe holiday!