Catholic Charities joins national awareness campaign

August 12, 2024

It is hard to ask for help. 

When adversity strikes, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Des Moines, is there to help our neighbors in need. 

Catholic Charities is committed to empowering individuals and strengthening families. This is accomplished through the dedication, passion and commitment of our staff to go above and beyond for all who come to us searching for help. Our five vital program areas, including counseling, domestic violence and sexual assault programming, an emergency family shelter, a food pantry (part of the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s network of pantries) and refugee services, are changing lives every day. 

We are there for the dad who needs food to feed his family. 

We are there for the newly arrived refugee looking to make Des Moines their new home. 

We are there for the young woman who survived an abusive relationship and is putting her life back together. 

We are there for the family who lost everything and is getting back on their feet. 

We are there for those going through crisis. 

We are there. 

A former client named Isabella is a wonderful example. She and her two young boys came to the Catholic Charities’ Emergency Family Shelter needing help. Her boys both have special needs and the income she was bringing in was not enough to sustain the care her boys needed. They lost their home and didn’t know what to do. When they arrived at the Emergency Family Shelter, they were met with open arms. Isabella received the care, compassion and help she needed to move forward. She took advantage of every resource offered at the shelter to create a better life for her and her boys. Now, Isabella and her boys are thriving in a place of their own. 

“Catholic Charities has saved a lot of lives over the years,” said Isabella. “I don’t know where I would have been without Catholic Charities.” 

In the Diocese of Des Moines, we offer loving support to those who are struggling. We know the road to success and self-sufficiency is not necessarily a straight path and it can look different to each person. 

“For 100 years, Catholic Charities has diligently served the people of the Diocese of Des Moines with dignity and respect,” said Catholic Charities Executive Director Barbara Q. Decker. “We are committed to meeting people where they are and providing them the tools they need to be successful.”

We offer many opportunities to accompany us in the mission, from donating to volunteering. Our passionate and dedicated staff and team of volunteers make the work we do possible. 

“I encourage all to learn about the exceptional life-changing work we do at Catholic Charities and see all the ways we are there for our communities,” said Decker. 

The Catholic Charities network of 168 agencies, along with Catholic Charities USA, the network’s national membership organization, has launched an awareness campaign promoting the life-giving work undertaken each day by Catholic Charities agencies around the country. 

Through national and local advertising efforts, the campaign will shine a spotlight on the vast and varied services that the Catholic Charities network provides to millions of people in need each year.  Learn more at WeAreThere.US.