by Katie Patrick
To an outsider, Ogallala, Nebraska may not seem like a final destination or safe haven but it’s going to be a fresh start for this family. Having fled their home down south due to violence, the family was driving through Nebraska and pulled off at an Ogallala exit for medical reasons. After encountering the kindness and generosity of the people in Ogallala, the family decided to make it home.
The family was connected to Community Action, who assisted them with finding an apartment and covering initial rent and utility expenses. After moving into the apartment, the family connected with our Imperial Outreach Office.
CSS staff in Imperial welcomed the family to our St. Isidore Gift and Thrift store so that they could enjoy a private shopping experience. There the family was not only able to select household supplies, bedding, clothing/shoes, coats, games/toys, but our Imperial staff teamed up with Hastings staff to provide furniture including bunk beds for the kids! The Knights of Columbus also provided assistance to the family. And of course, what would a fresh start be without a few boxes of food for the family? Our Imperial staff took great care in making sure this family was provided for and welcomed.
As Tonya Olsen, our Emergency Services Coordinator shared: “The [five] children were bright-eyed and excited with all the choices available to them. They delighted in picking things out and exploring the store and all the items. Of special note was when the 6-year-old asked where the door to the chapel led. Bill opened the door to the chapel for him, and immediately he ran in and sat down in the pew in awe, and promptly said he needed to go get the rest of his family so that they could pray.”
At Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska, we have a unique call to not only provide for the much needed and appreciated physical needs of the poor and vulnerable, but we have the desire and capacity to provide for the spiritual needs of those we serve as well.
Wraparound services is a common phrase within education and among nonprofits and other service providers. It most often means that either a school or nonprofit seeks to meet the holistic needs of a particular student or client, such as mental and behavioral health needs as well as any physical needs like food, clothing, shelter within a strengths-based, needs-driven approach rather than the traditional problem-based, service-driven approach.
At CSS, we are blessed to be able to provide emergency cash assistance, food, furniture, clothing, employment services, shelter for survivors of domestic violence and crisis pregnancy, resettlement services for refugees, legal services for immigrants, and faith-based counseling, but most importantly, we offer hope. As Christ is increasingly being pushed out of the nonprofit community, the education system, the public square, etc., we at CSS are firmly grounded in living and sharing the Gospel. By being a witness of Christ’s love for the poor and vulnerable, we remind our clients of God’s unconditional love for them and that is—and always will be—the most important thing that we do at Catholic Social Services. May God bless you!
