Nonprofit focusing on food insecurity, homelessness
By Stefan Yablonski
With a budget of $5,541,924, Catholic Charities of Oswego County serves nearly 3,000 people annually.
Originally founded in the 1930s as an adoption agency, Catholic Charities has evolved into a human service agency providing many valuable programs and services to children, families and individuals. It has a great variety of people come through its doors annually to either receive help — or to provide that help.
The most prevalent needs in this calendar year have been housing and food insecurities.
“Catholic Charities of Oswego County assists a multitude of families and individuals throughout Oswego County who are challenged by poverty,” said Mary-Margaret Pekow, CCOC executive director. “The two areas in which we have the most impact are through our food pantry and our thrift store.”
From January 2024 through July 2024, 931 households (2,702 individuals) have been served in the food pantry, she said.
“We have added 931 new pantry members during that time frame as well,” she added.
In 2023, the food pantry served an average of 248 individuals each week.
The pantry also assembles 50-60 homeless food bags each month; that means 600-720 bags of food going to the homeless annually.
“Many of the clients in our community services department also access our food pantry,” Pekow said. “Our community services staff works diligently with the individuals we serve as well as many other community agencies to assist as many individuals as possible. Our food pantry is open to the public and accessible once a month to individuals.”
The food pantry at Catholic Charities is operated by volunteers. It is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Catholic Charities’ Community Services department is now able to fully assist Hispanic families by offering a bilingual case manager.
“This has helped us to expand our reach and assist even more individuals than before,” she said.
There have been 394 individuals served in their community services department since January of this year, she added.
Traveling staff
The staff at Catholic Charities travels. Through the food pantry, they provide homeless food bags. If someone’s homeless, they’re put up at a hotel temporarily. Food bags are packed particularly around what they may have access to. They also have food bags that are meant for people that are living in tents or on the street somewhere.
“We utilize Wagner [Foundation] funds to assist clients in Oswego County with emergency needs such as security deposits, back rent, medical co-pays, emergency housing such as hotel stays due to homelessness or housing crisis and so much more,” said Brooke Foster, program supervisor.
The Wagner Foundation was established in Boston in 2005. Initially, grants focused on elementary and secondary school programs, universities, hospitals and human service organizations based in the Boston area.
Over time, the foundation expanded its local focus to include national and international settings. It also broadened its mission to address social justice issues affecting marginalized populations in the United States and abroad.
“The funding helps us to alleviate homelessness in Oswego County one person or family at a time. The housing crisis in Oswego County has been at the highest I have ever personally seen. The funding allows us to assist clients so that they can look to the future,” Foster said.
They are seeing an increase because of the huge homeless population in the county, Pekow said. There are wait lists for some programs right now. Some of it has to do with staffing and then on top of it, the cost of living.
They have 59 employees and 15 volunteers; but there are some vacancies.
There are no fees associated with the programs. None of the programs have any kind of fees or any kind of requirements — except that they are an Oswego County resident, she explained.
Over the years, Catholic Charities has opened offices across Syracuse, Utica, Binghamton and Oswego. Now they are in six areas with offices throughout Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Onondaga, Oneida-Madison and Oswego counties.
Catholic Charities of Oswego County is at 808 Broadway, Fulton. The phone number is (315) 598-3980. The website is ccoswego.com.
When you give money to support the work of Catholic Charities of Oswego County you’re helping to feed the hungry in Oswego County — including hungry children.
You are also helping provide basic needs like clothing, hygiene items, housing, medication, heat and more.
