Breakfast of Humanitarians
By Faye Dismukes
ETC staff

As the third hurricane season since Hurricane Rita came ashore approaches, it may be hard to imagine that many are still reeling from its devastation. Four people who can attest to that fact were honored with the Humanitarian Award during the 17th Annual Breakfast with the Bishop April 5.

The award was presented to Leighia Barron, the Rev. Ruby Nelson, Fred Anderson and John Hanes, all who served for the past two and a half years as Volunteer Family Advocates. They have been an integral part of disaster recovery efforts with Rita Recovery, a program of the Methodist Church designed to help the Southeast Texas community recover from Hurricane Rita by providing families with case management and home repair assistance.

As Volunteer Family Advocates their goal was to empower survivors to help themselves asmuch as possible, helping them by identifying their needs and connecting them to resources.

In addition to recognizing the effort of these four individuals, the event also provided an opportunity to raise funds that support Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas and its social service programs.

Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, opened the event by comparing the work done by Catholic Charities to the biblical story of the loaves and the fish. “Jesus told the apostles to feed the crowd themselves,” Bishop Guillory said. “Jesus ministered to the deserted, the unknown and unheard of. Those are the poor that Jesus responded to and those are the poor that Catholic Charities responds to.”

Bishop Guillory went on to point out that there is always enough if all come together with the common purpose of feeding the poor and needy.

St. Anne parish hall, Beaumont, was filled with generous people whose contributions of time, talent and treasure support Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas and its mission as “People of faith providing solutions to targeted human needs, aspiring towards a universal community that preserves and support the dignity of all.”

Those in attendance were served by the priests and religious of the diocese who turned out in great numbers to support the work of Catholic Charities.

Dean Terrebonne, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities, expressed his deep appreciation to Gay Scott and Arie Sherlock, co-chairs of the event, along with the many volunteers who helped make the event a success.

The programs of Catholic Charities include childcare contractor service, counseling services, Elijah’s Place, the Hospitality Center, immigration services, parish social ministry and disaster response services. For additional information regarding the services offered by Catholic Charities, please call (409) 835-7118 or visit www.catholiccharitiesbmt.org.