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It was late on a Friday afternoon and Kathleen Speck was feeling like Old Mother Hubbard, finding no food in her pantry.

"The phone was ringing and I actually considered not answering it, because our freezer was completely empty due to a higher than usual demand for services that week," confessed Ms. Speck, who directs the Hilltown Community Resource Center, a division of Catholic Charities, in Westerlo.

"Of course, I had to pick up - and before I could break the news to the caller that we had nothing left to offer, she identified herself as having a vacation home nearby with way too much beef to squeeze into her freezer. 

"The caller had accidentally ordered a whole cow instead of just a side of beef and wanted to know if we could use the extra meat. We went from having absolutely nothing to a bounty that put us in mind of the miracle of the loaves and fishes."

Another time, Ms. Speck and program assistant Kathy Whitbeck were overjoyed when a van pulled up loaded with food.

"We were told that a woman who was celebrating her 90th birthday had told guests that, in lieu of gifts, she wanted them to make donations to our food pantry," Ms. Speck recalled. "We were so grateful, we wrote a letter to the newspaper explaining what a blessing this had been. We always want people to know how much we appreciate every single donation that comes our way."

The recession has sent many more people to the doors of rectories, pantries and social service agencies. Faced with endless needs and limited supplies, directors and volunteers may face uncomfortable choices about who to help first. Instead, they often try to triage among a family's needs. 

What's needed
"We use guidelines for what they need most at the moment," said Socorro Marin, who runs the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank, a community-supported program based at St. Paul the Apostle parish in Hancock, on the Albany Diocese's southwestern border.

"For instance, if their phone is being cut off, we'll contact [Delaware County] social services and the phone company to stop it."

Helping those who ask is the general rule. But looking beyond the need to the cause is another step, said Lou O'Connor, administrative assistant at Sacred Heart parish in Stamford and its mission church, St. Philip Neri in Grand Gorge.

The parish works with a local benevolent fund to pay electric and gas bills. At the same time, he said, "We will steer people to [county] social services to deal with the real problem." 

Sometimes, volunteers who know a family's situation may question their requests for aid since, for instance, a parent in the family works full-time.

"We tell [volunteers], 'Don't worry about it; your job is just to be a volunteer and give them the help,'" Mr. O'Connor said.

Community aid
While surprise deliveries are the exception rather than the rule for Catholic Charities, many affiliated with the organization that serves the poor and needy have been moved by recent support from unexpected sources.

"I've witnessed some pretty amazing things during these harsh economic times," ob-served John Nasso, executive director of Catholic Charities of Fulton and Montgomery Counties. "We're serving about 50 percent more families a month than we did at this time last year and requests for emergency assistance are up about 40 percent, but the response has pretty much been in proportion to the need.

"It's been something to see the ways members of the community have come together to help their neighbors. I used to worry about where the donations would come from. I don't worry any more. I just put my faith in God and the people." 

As an example, Mr. Nasso said, a woman who was selling Avon teddy bears offered to donate her profits of roughly $5 per bear to aid the Amsterdam-based food pantry.

"What made it even better was that some people came along who said, 'Keep the bear and make another sale - but here's $20 so you can buy more food for the pantry.'"

Host of helpers
The local Rotary Club - of which Mr. Nasso is a member - also wrote a check when informed of the increased need, while Stewart's stores offered back-to-school grant assistance, employees of the Amsterdam Printing Company gave a truckload of items for the food pantry and a check for $1,000, and the Amsterdam Recorder newspaper donated ad space that led to $10,000 in monetary contributions.

Colleen Pidgeon of CoNSERNS-U, another Catholic Charities program serving Schodack, East Greenbush, Rensselaer, Nassau and Sand Lake, agreed that "the donations we receive always same to parallel the needs."

CoNSERNS-U volunteers have filled back-to-school supply requests for 170 students and taken more than 100 youngsters shopping for $100 each worth of school clothes.

"Overall, we're seeing a jump in the numbers from last year," Ms. Pidgeon noted. 

"There has been an enormous influx of new clients seeking emergency assistance in terms of food, clothing, shelter - as well as concerns about the power being turned off or not having enough money to cover co-pays on prescriptions. We do all we can to help within our guidelines and we've never turned anyone away."

She noted that the new economic stimulus funds offered by President Barack Obama have been a godsend, as has the Wojeski Fund (established by David Wojeski of East Green-bush), which provides an average of $15,000 a year to CoNSERNS-U to assist children in need with clothing, school fees, camp tuition and medical bills. 

Extra help 
"We are so blessed to have these funds," said Ms. Pidgeon. "I honestly don't know what we'd do without the extra dollars - especially given today's economy."

Michele Kelly, Catholic Charities' chief financial officer, confirmed that the demand for services has increased over the past year throughout the 14 counties served by the Diocese. She said that Catholic Charities continues to seek funds from contributions and grants. 

In addition, she stressed, Catholic Charities empowers and advocates on behalf of persons in need: "Part of what we do is referral and outreach - letting [callers] know about ways they may be able to receive assistance with their National Grid bill, for example.

"The demand for services is high, but with all of us working together, there's reason to be optimistic," she continued. "We hope to see an economic recovery, but it's important for people to know we are here to help them through the difficult times."

Ms. Speck added: "We always say our goal is to put ourselves out of business, but there's no lack of business here. Luckily, we strive to be user-friendly and we encourage those in need to get in touch."

To reach Catholic Charities, call 453-6650 or visit www.ccrcda.org. [[In-content Ad]]

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