The mission of Catholic Charities is to be Christ’s merciful love to those who suffer.
Together, we are Love Changing Lives! Every day, our neighbors come to Catholic Charities in search of hope. From pregnancy care to end-of-life care, and everything in between, our 15 programs and 7 locations serve those in need across Eastern Oklahoma. We are the largest provider of food to individuals in need in the state of Oklahoma, but we also provide dental care, adult education, immigration legal services, transitional living for pregnant women and single mothers, and more. We welcome all who come to our door, without regard for race, nationality, creed or religion; approximately 85% of those we serve are not Catholic. The majority of those we help are the working poor, barely getting by on a daily basis. Funding for our operations is primarily provided by the generosity of individuals and charitable organizations. For more information, visit our website at cceok.org.
Our Values
Faith
Trusting in God to order our path daily and through His grace to lead us to eternal life in His loving presence
Hope
We now see glimpses of our Creator in the Church, Her Sacraments and the love of His people; our ultimate Hope is in His promise that we will dwell with Him for eternity
Charity
A love that comes directly from God and is shared with the world through His people; this love is selfless, sacrificial and unconditional
Dignity
Endowed with a spiritual soul, with intellect and with free will, the human person is from his very conception, offered to God and destined for eternal beatitude
Solidarity
Equal in God’s creation and united in the love of Christ, every person is our brother/sister – this solidarity must be lived through us daily as we “Bear one another’s Burdens”
Our History
Catholic Charities began in Tulsa in 1951 as several different programs serving those in need, scattered about north Tulsa. Over time, more services and locations were added and, eventually, there were nine buildings in north Tulsa housing twelve programs and services. The individual programs were thriving, but one central, safe and efficient location was sorely needed!
In 2007, Catholic Charities began an extensive, community-wide capital campaign. Two years later, thanks to the generosity of 4,000 individuals and families, Catholic Charities moved to its new 74,000-square-foot campus at Apache and North Harvard. The California Mission style of architecture is simple yet durable, built to serve our neighbors for many years to come. With one central campus, we are uniquely equipped to address the needs of the whole person by referring our clients to the other programs we offer.
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Some highlights of our growth and presence in Eastern Oklahoma since we moved to our new campus in 2009:
Then: Catholic Charities had physical locations in Tulsa and Sallisaw.
Now: We operate at our main campus on North Harvard and also through outreach centers in Bartlesville, Broken Arrow, McAlester, Muskogee, Sallisaw and Wilburton. Additionally we operate monthly mobile food pantries in rural communities throughout Eastern Oklahoma.
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Then: Catholic Charities distributed 205,000 pounds of food to those in need each year.
Now: CCEOK distributes more than six and a half million pounds of food each year and has become the largest distributor of food to individuals in the need in the state of Oklahoma.
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Then: 1,650 people volunteered their time in 2009.
Now: Each year, more than 7,000 volunteers generously give more than 100,000 hours of their time to serve their neighbors in need at CCEOK!
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Then & Now: Adult Education such as GED classes, English as a Second Language and basic computer and parenting classes began with the opening of our Tulsa campus in 2009. Since then, more than 6,000 students have worked to create a bright future for themselves and their families.
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Then & Now: Catholic Charities opened its dental clinic on the new campus in 2007. Since then, almost $9 million in dental services has been delivered at no cost for those without access to care.
Catholic Charities is not a United Way agency and many are surprised to learn that we do not receive funding from the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma or its Faith and Works campaign. The majority of funding for our operations is provided by the generosity of individuals and charitable organizations.
Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status according to the Internal Revenue Service code. Our Federal EIN is 73-1171950. However, we are a subordinate of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ group ruling for nonprofit status, which requires the use of the Federal EIN number 53-0196617 to confirm with the IRS.
