A WORK OF MERCY ~ Catholic Charities meets critical need for food during pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an economic crisis in the United States, leading to record unemployment rates and placing financial strain on millions of families. With so many people now being unable to work due to government mandates, Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, the largest distributor of food to the poor in the state, has seen an increased demand for food and basic necessities.

Brent Partee, a member of St. Henry Parish in Owasso who has served as volunteer coordinator for Catholic Charities in Tulsa for over two years, said that before the pandemic they would provide groceries for approximately 100 families a day or around 300 total in a week. They are now serving 300 to 400 families a day, an average of 1,500 per week, and had one day where over 520 people came to them for assistance. The organization's five other food pantry locations in outlying communities are also seeing an exponential increase in need. In order to meet this critical need for food, Catholic Charities has implemented an emergency process to better serve the people in need. Clients are no longer required to go through an interview process with a caseworker. Instead, Catholic Charities is only asking that clients provide identification and remain in their cars while volunteers bring their groceries directly to them. “Things really have changed lately,” said Partee. “And it has been a dynamic change. We are operating in emergency mode and have set up an assembly line here to meet the needs of the community. Our volunteers receive the food, sort it and then assemble grocery baskets to be handed out to those who come through the drive-through service.”Partee said that the support and collaboration happening in the Tulsa community has been instrumental in providing food for those in need. A long-term partnership with the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank has played a big part in helping them to meet the unprecedented need. A current surplus at the Food Bank has helped Catholic Charities stock their pantries at a decreased cost or, in some cases, no cost. Additionally, Catholic Charities’ working relationship with the Walmart distribution center in Ramona continues to churn an abundance of fresh produce into the organization's pantries for distribution. About 85 percent of the Walmart donations are fresh produce, but sometimes meat, eggs, and dry goods, such as toilet paper, paper towels, snacks, and cereal are included. Recent financial support from individuals, foundations, like the George Kaiser Family Foundation, and businesses, including the Bank of Oklahoma, has also helped to create a much-needed cushion to help with the added expenses. Partee said that they have had enough food provided to this point, but there is still a need for food and financial donations to support their work. He also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased their need for volunteers. “We have lost a lot of our regular volunteers because of their concerns over the COVID-19, but we have also gained a lot of new volunteers because they now have the free time and they want to give back,” he said. “It really warms my heart to have these new volunteers here and many of them have said that they want to keep coming back after this crisis is over. They see that they are doing something to help others and making a difference.”The pandemic has also created a challenge of creating a safe environment for these volunteers. Catholic Charities has been working to streamline the new process with social distancing, masks, and gloves for all volunteers. Also, at this time, their Emergency Assistance Program is limited to providing food and the clothing store has been temporarily closed.

Liliana Carbone, the director of the Catholic Charities outreach in Muskogee, has faced similar challenges because of the COVID-19 measures, necessitating changes in their procedures. They now do intake interviews over the phone. They still serve families with young children but pick out the clothes, diapers, and necessities and then deliver them to the car. They have also had to modify their volunteer schedules.“All of our elderly volunteers do not come here because of the virus, and I prefer they do not come,” she emphasized. “Now we have the Wiedel family who comes to volunteer. They are younger with a teenage boy that comes to help. We had three teenagers who did not have classes that came to volunteer, but now they have to do their work online.”Carbone also reached out to the Hispanic community at St. Joseph Parish in Muskogee, where she serves as the religious education coordinator, to find people who needed assistance.“We had a lot of Hispanics who were working in hotels and restaurants that we were trying to reach because we knew they were out of work,” she shared. “We had a lot of them come. We saw people who had never come before so we were able to help them out for the first time.”Partee has had a similar experience in Tulsa, saying, “We are seeing a lot of new faces here for our food assistance, and you can tell the people are in need. This has really strengthened my faith and made me more aware of how fortunate I am, even though I thought I was not at one time. And it makes me feel good that we are helping these people, and you can really see it in their eyes. Sometimes people take what we are doing for granted, but every day there are one or two that come through here, and it hits me in the heart because you can see that they really need the help. I love it, and it keeps me coming back to work.” And this is a lot of work. I am doing more physical work at almost 65 than when I was 19,” he added with a laugh. “But He (God) keeps giving me the strength. I am really grateful for this opportunity because I owe the Lord a lot, and this is a way for me to pay back some of what He has done for me. This is all for the Lord, and I cannot stress that enough. And the people here at Catholic Charities are outstanding because we all have the same mission to serve.”