Messages of Hope
By Miranda Schumacher
Development Officer at CSS Hastings Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska
What a year it has been for Catholic Social Services in Hastings!
Last year at this time, we were anticipating our office move to 124 S. Colorado Ave. and beginning plans for a new thrift store. Little did we know that the year ahead would bring even more growth—including the purchase of a warehouse right next to our new office. Along the way, we have implemented new policies, welcomed new staff, and, most importantly, continued to make a lasting impact through our mission.
When we look back at all the Lord has blessed us with this year, our Bountiful Harvest theme feels especially fitting: A New Harvest and Bountiful Future. We have been blessed with new opportunities, new spaces, and new ways to serve our community—and we are excited for what lies ahead.
Our Bountiful Harvest Gala & Silent Auction will be held Oct. 4 at the City Auditorium. Each year, we gather to celebrate the work God is doing through Catholic Social Services, share stories of the people we serve, enjoy time with those who support our mission, and raise the resources needed to continue this lifesaving work.
This year’s event will feature exciting auction items, updates on the many ways God has blessed CSS Hastings, and the presentation of our Love of Christ Award to Tom and Tammie Schik. This annual award honors those who embody the mission of Catholic Social Services and exemplify the Love of Christ through their service. We are honored to recognize a couple who has made such a lasting impact on CSS, the Church, and the Hastings community.
The Schiks’ connection to CSS began with a simple phone call.
Tammie was working at St. Cecilia Parish when, one day, she answered the ringing phone. On the other end was Father Joseph Walsh, who shared his vision for growing Catholic Social Services in Hastings. He told Tammie he was looking for a “good, strong, Catholic man” and asked if her husband Tom might be interested.
Tom remembers it simply: “The Lord handpicked us a long time ago.”
That phone call led to years of serving the poor and vulnerable and building relationships that would last a lifetime.
At the time, CSS already offered pregnancy counseling and adoption services, but Father Walsh asked Tom to help expand refugee services. That ministry became the beginning of many of the services CSS provides today.
Furniture, clothing, household goods, financial assistance, and other basic needs all grew out of the organization’s work with refugees.
Tom walked alongside refugees as they built new lives in Hastings, helping them find housing, employment, food, clothing and other necessities. But for Tom and Tammie, the greatest blessing was the relationships they formed.
They were invited to weddings, celebrated birthdays and anniversaries together, and watched their children become close friends with the families they served. What began as service led to deep friendship.
Tammie served alongside Tom through both volunteer work at CSS and her own 30 years of service to the Church. She handled office work, assisted with finances, cleaned, and helped wherever she was needed. Even after retirement, she continued looking for opportunities to serve.
When asked if she would consider cleaning St. Michael Church, Tammie answered enthusiastically, “I love cleaning the Lord’s house!”
Her service has also continued through the Parish Council of Catholic Women, where she especially enjoys helping plan funeral meals.
“Serving meals through such difficult times feels like sharing love at a level that is so deep, we can’t even begin to understand,” Tammie said.
As she spoke, Tom smiled and added, “There are many ways to feed the hungry.”
It is a fitting sentiment for a couple whose service has helped feed the hungry in so many ways. Tom was also instrumental in helping establish CSS’s Open Table Sack Lunch Program, alongside many other community organizations, which continues to provide free lunches to those in need in our community.
When asked what they have loved most about serving God through the years, Tom and Tammie agreed: the joy that comes from offering care, love and acceptance, and seeing that joy returned by the people they serve.
Their story is a beautiful example of what it means to live out the Love of Christ through ordinary acts of service that have extraordinary impact.
Catholic Social Services is honored to celebrate Tom and Tammie Schik and the many ways they have helped build a legacy of compassion and hope in Hastings.
We invite you to join us for Bountiful Harvest Oct. 4 to meet Tom and Tammie, celebrate all God has done through Catholic Social Services this past year, and look with hope toward the future.
Together, let us give thanks for God’s abundant blessings and celebrate the bountiful future ahead.
To register by Sept. 25, visit csshope.org/bh2026 for registration information.
