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May 22-28, 2020 Facebook @FloridaCatholic
YOUR VENICE COMMUNITY
BOB REDDY
of the Florida Catholic staff
WAUCHULA Not long after sunrise May 16, 2020, volunteers at the St. Michael Parish Food Pantry in Wauchula started filling boxes with a variety of fresh, refrigerated and frozen food in preparation for a busy morning. Vehicles were lined up by 7 a.m., about 30 minutes before the sched- uled opening and less than two hours later more than 250 families (or about 1,000 people) had been helped. Sister Maria Madre de le Albora- da Quizhpe, Servant of the Lord the Virgin of Matara, is in charge of the food pantry and does a weekly as- sessment of available food and must decide how much goes into each box based on the previous week's number. In just a few weeks, the food pantry has handed out more than five times the pre-pandemic amount, a trend that shows no signs of ending soon. That Saturday, Bishop Frank J. Dewane saw firsthand the good work being done at St. Michael Par- ish. The Bishop did not hesitate to jump in to assist on the assembly line, packing boxes right where Sis- ter Alborada most needed him. The food pantry is restocked thanks to the direct assistance of two local food banks (Feeding Tam- pa Bay and All Faiths Food Bank), as well as through the support of local grocers and farmers, several Diocesan Parishes and resources are augmented by weekly bulk rice and bean deliveries from Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. Each contribution is sorted by another group of volunteers earlier in the week to make the Saturday morning routine go smoothly. Ev- eryone helping lives locally and knows about the need in the com- munity. The boxes move down the pack- ing line at a breakneck pace as ve- hicles pull into the driveway, trucks or tailgates open, and boxes of food are loaded. Some vehicles pick up items for elderly neighbors or those without vehicles. When Bishop Dewane finished his shift, he took time to thank ev- eryone for their hard work. The Bishop remarked that he was also impressed by their dedication to come out each week to volunteer to do this hard work, not just for the Parish, but for the community as a
If you would like to help the St. Michael Parish food pantry, you can send money to St Michael Parish, c/o Food Pantry, 408 Heard Bridge Road, Wauchula, FL 33873, or call 863-773-4089. The Diocese of Venice is also providing an online platform. Visit www.dioceseofvenice. org/ways-to-give/parish- donations-online and select St. Michael Parish in the drop- down box (disable any pop-up blockers).
Parish food pantry meets growing need
whole. "Well done!" Each vehicle coming through the line is surveyed to learn how many people are in the household and also to ensure that the families are using all of the offered food. Sister Gema Ruiz, SSVM, said one person spoke about how the food is much appreciated and needed. They say that whatever is not needed immediately is shared with elderly neighbors or other needy friends and family," Sister Gema explained. "That is good to hear. We are pleased nothing is going to waste." Because the Parish is so far from the main food banks, the pantry must pay to retrieve most of the food, adding a tremendous expense. While necessary, this is beginning to impact the other as- sistance programs, Sister Gema ex- plained. The Parish offers emergen- cy financial support for unexpected expenses, an area where demand is also beginning to increase. Sister Alborada explained that the impact of the food pantry on the community cannot be underesti- mated. The food provided to fami- lies, many with several children, gives them one less expense they need to worry about when money is tight. "They have children to feed, but they also have other bills to pay. We help to ensure they don't need to make a choice between their chil- dren and some other expense."
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If you need help
If you need assistance from Catholic Charities for food, finan- cial assistance or tele-mental health counseling, call the number for your area listed below 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday: Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties: 844-385-2407 Charlotte, Lee, Hendry and Glades counties: 844-385-2423 Collier County: 844-385-2404
Food distribution
Catholic Charities food distribu- tion will take place only at the fol- lowing times and locations. Please call the regional number for more information. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9-11 a.m., Guadalupe Social Services, 211 S. 9th St., Immokalee Tuesdays, 9-11:30 a.m., Judy Sullivan Family Resource Center, 3174 Tamiami Trail E., Naples Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon, St. Margaret Parish, 208 Dean Duff St., Clewiston Fridays, 9-11 a.m., St. Leo the Great Parish, 28360 Beaumont Road, Bonita Springs Fridays, 9 a.m.-noon, Elizabeth K. Galeana Pantry, 4235 Michigan Avenue Link, Fort Myers Second and fourth Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Paul Parish, 1208 E. Oak St. Arcadia Saturdays, 7-8:45 a.m., St. Mi- chael Parish, 408 Heard Bridge Rd., Wauchula.
How to help
Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice Inc. is in urgent need of your financial support during its response to the COVID-19 pan- demic. To help, visit www.catholic- charitiesdov.org, donate or send a check to: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice Inc., 5824 Bee Ridge Road, PMB 409, Sarasota, FL 34233-5065.
Catholic Charities response to pandemic
Scam alert
It has once again been brought to the attention of the Diocese of Venice that parishioners have re- ceived text/email messages from people pretending to be priests or Bishop Frank J. Dewane and re- questing donations in the form of gift cards and/or wire transfers. The messages often greet the per- son by name and have the priests name in the closing signature of the message; this is a well-crafted and targeted attack on the Church across the country which has hit our Diocese again. These text/email messages are spoofed' fakes that should not be responded to or taken seriously by anyone. The best defense against this sort of scam is to raise aware- ness in the community and not respond or open any worrying at- tachments. It is Diocesan policy that no priest or staff within the Diocese request donations in the form of gift cards, PayPal, Money- Gram, etc. There is already an established process in place on how parish- ioners can make donations and participate in the life of the Parish. Whenever a parishioner is worried about any request for money from the parish or a priest, they should immediately call their parish and under no circumstances should they respond to these scam re- quests.
Mooney teacher earns doctorate
Sarah Hard Gates, a theology instructor at Car- dinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sara- sota, and 1997 graduate of the school, success- fully defended her dissertation and was award- ed her PhD in education from Abilene Christian University. She previously earned degrees from St. Leo University, the University of South Florida, and Barry Universi- ty. Gates, a beloved teacher who is considered one of the "fun" teach- ers, has been teaching at Cardinal Mooney for 16 years.
Year of St. Joseph
On the Solemnity of St. Joseph, March 19, 2020, Bishop Frank J. Dewane consecrated the Diocese of Venice to the care and protec- tion of St. Joseph in the context of the Coronavirus. The Bishop announced a "Year of St. Joseph" beginning March 19, 2020 through March 19, 2021. St. Joseph, often referred to as the pro- tector, can be our protector during this time of the pandemic. To pray a Novena to St. Joseph visit the Year of St. Joseph webpage at www.dioceseofvenice.org.
Sarah Gates
NEWS briefs
Bishop Frank J. Dewane assists in loading boxes of food for distribution on May 16, 2020, at the St. Michael Parish Food Pantry in Wauchula. (BOB REDDY FC)
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