Catholic Charities Open for Business!

By Gloria Way

  Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas officially opens its door on Friday August 1^st. Located at 909 SH 124 in Winnie.

  There are two main components set up at the Winnie location, (1) the food bank which is called Market to HOPE (Help Other People Eat) and (2) The Thrift Barn, which is a resale shop where people can purchase home and clothing items at low cost. The Thrift Barn accepts donations of gently used children’s and adult’s clothing and shoes, furniture and kitchen appliances as well as accessories and curios for the home. The donated items are then tagged and put up for sale in The Thrift Barn. Money made from the sale goes back to Catholic Charities to support its numerous programs. The mission of the Thrift Store is multi-fold, “purchase with a purpose … reduce, reuse, and resale”. Carolyn Fernandez, President/CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas, stated, “We reduce the environmental impact of our belongings by reselling them, we reuse the belongings, and resell them. It is all about having a positive impact of sort by “recycling” items to be used again.”

  Market to HOPE is open to anyone who needs supplemental food for their families. It is preferred if you make an appointment so the person helping you will have the time to explain the process to you. One of the first questions is how large the household is. An example would be a family of four. A family of four can choose fresh, frozen, and refrigerated items which are: three fresh vegetables (as posted), three fresh fruits (as posted), three meat items, one dozen eggs, one milk. And from the shelves, unrefrigerated items of eight fruit, eight vegetables, eight proteins, eight grains, eight dairy, and eight “other”. The client can choose from what is available in those categories.

  The worker will take the client’s contact information and call them in one month to come back for another order. “Our goal is to have no family go hungry,” said Fernandez. “Some families may need food assistance for a month or two, some a lot longer. We want to make sure that those families who seek food assistance know that this is not a one-time deal and we are here to help them as long as it takes for them to get going again.”

  Toiletries are also available. Items such as deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, diapers, etc. are available but the client must ask for them. They are not included in the food lists.

  Gerard Parigi, Director of The Thrift Barn, wants to emphasize the need for and importance of volunteers. “It doesn’t matter with which religion you identify. We all share the same goal of helping those that need help. Please call us and come on down! We appreciate the time you can give us.”

  The hours for the Market to HOPE food bank are Monday to Saturday 11am to 3pm. The telephone number is 409-924-4436. The hours for the Thrift Barn are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. The telephone number is 409-924-4436. Donations can be dropped off at the Distribution Center at the same time.