Catholic Charities: Loving Neighbors in Need

August 19, 2025

By Kendall Begnoche, originally published on catholiccharitiesdm.org.

Every day, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Des Moines, bears witness to the unseen strength of neighbors striving to overcome life’s challenges.

Many individuals and families served by Catholic Charities live without the comforts of air-conditioned homes, cruise-controlled cars, or savings accounts. Instead, they focus on meeting their most basic needs. 

Catholic Charities steps in to bridge this gap.

Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, the organization serves the Diocese of Des Moines through vital programs and services, including counseling, community resource coordination, domestic violence and sexual assault shelter and advocacy, an emergency family shelter, and a food pantry.

With a mission to empower individuals and strengthen families, Catholic Charities serves all in need with dignity and love.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shared the greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” When Jesus is asked, “Who is my neighbor?” he responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan – showing his disciples what it truly means to love one’s neighbor.

A neighbor is more than someone living next door. A neighbor is every person, especially the lost, the struggling, and the forgotten.

Catholic Charities follows the example given through the Good Samaritan. Fueled by passionate volunteers and a dedicated staff, the organization serves neighbors in need by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, comforting the afflicted, uplifting the lost and much more with true mercy.

But this cannot be done alone.

The financial support provided by parishioners and donors is crucial to the work of Catholic Charities. Responding to the Catholic Charities Annual Appeal provides an opportunity to create exceptional life-changing experiences that foster growth and self-sufficiency for those who are struggling.

This could be the person sitting quietly in the back of a parish, a coworker facing hidden challenges, or the family next door. Often, the individuals receiving support are not visible in the community.

Catholic Charities offers a pathway for donors to be like the Good Samaritan. Support from generous donors directly impacts the lives of so many across the Diocese. Each gift, no matter the size, provides critical services for someone in need.

The needs of the community are ever-changing. Catholic Charities actively looks for ways to better care for clients by meeting them where they are and providing them with what they need to succeed. In the last 12 months alone:

• More than 128,000 bags of food were distributed at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry.
• The Catholic Charities Emergency Family Shelter provided 14,735 nights of shelter for more than 150 families.
• The Catholic Charities Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program provided services to 647 individuals, helping them begin the healing process.  

Each year brings more individuals and families in need of support, making the work of Catholic Charities more essential than ever before.

In many ways, Catholic Charities serves as the hands and feet of Christ, going to the margins to care for some of the most vulnerable. Donor support allows the organization to reach further, offering an encouraging and uplifting hand to those who might otherwise feel forgotten.

The Catholic Charities Annual Appeal fuels the organization’s essential programs and services. Every donation makes a difference. Every gift sparks a change. Every dollar has an impact. This financial support enables Catholic Charities to operate effectively and compassionately.

Catholic Charities says ‘Yes’ to the Gospel call to love our neighbors – every neighbor – just like the Good Samaritan. Together, we can build a community, rooted in compassion, mercy and hope – where no one is left behind.

To support Catholic Charities’ programs and services throughout the Diocese of Des Moines, visit catholiccharitiesdm.org/annual-appeal.