Catholic Charities celebrates 90 years of service

LYNN – Catholic Charities, a non-profit organization located on Lynn Shore Drive, is celebrating 90 years of assisting residents on the North Shore.Founded in 1919 during the post-World War I recession, Catholic Charities’ mission is to “improve the lives of those in need by providing comprehensive services with compassion, justice and respect to all who seek our assistance.”In addition to helping residents with basic needs, such as providing food and preventing homelessness, they have become a center for counseling and education.Development Coordinator Sarah Bartley calls Catholic Charities “a safety net,” focusing on improving lives and families, with an emphasis on getting people on the path to self-sufficiency.The path to self-sufficiency can mean different things to different people, but Catholic Charities covers the bases. For the past 40 years, employees have worked to assist young men and women to achieve their GED and recently held a fashion show to raise money for its Education Center. It also has taken in refugees and immigrants, helping them get housing, learn English and become comfortable in a new environment.Another big part of the program is assisting and counseling families. Social workers and licensed medical professionals will often go into a home in crisis to create stability and help families work through major problems. It also holds therapeutic support groups like one specifically for fathers.”The mission has stayed the same, but the programs have evolved to fit the needs of the community,” said Bartley.Still, the ongoing recession has posed a big problem with non-profits.Although the program served 20,000 people last year there were more who needed aid. Catholic Charities, like any non-profit, relies on grants, state contracts and the funds of generous individuals and benefactors to keep assisting the needy. As the economic crisis caused wallets to stay more closed than usual, it was the poor who were hit the hardest. “People who were poor before the recession were being squeezed, but now more are falling into that category,” said Bartley. “Donations are hard to come by.”With less financial assistance and more people turning up for food programs and homeless prevention, the pressure is on Catholic Charities.Thankfully, the organization doesn’t have to do it alone.”In Lynn, partnerships between non-profits are particularly strong,” said Bartley. “People are seldom served by one organization.”Catholic Charities has recently taken time to celebrate its 90 years of service by throwing a Spring Gala for staff that commemorates the decades of responding to the city’s hardships. “We’re here to stay,” said Bartley. “And the more funding we have, the more we can serve.”