Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc. - Newsletter, November 2002

A Quarterly Newsletter from Catholic Charities - November 2002

Catholic Charities’ Food Pantry Feeds the Hungry in Lompoc

Catholic Charities’ employee, Eric Hines, checks food supplies at the Lompoc Food Pantry. The pantry serves the entire community in the City of Lompoc.

When government and private foundations decided they could no longer provide funds for the local Lompoc Food Pantry that served the entire community of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, they turned to Catholic Charities of Los Angeles-Santa Barbara Region.

Catholic Charities has provided community services in Lompoc since 1963, and enjoys a good relationship with the County, City, and local foundations. Since the provision of food to hungry families and individuals is such an integral part of Catholic Charities’ mission, the agency’s office in Lompoc was a perfect fit to take over the distribution of food for the local pantry.

It was critical for Catholic Charities to put into place an immediate plan to provide food as soon as the other agency filed bankruptcy. In the interim, to assure sufficient food for Lompoc residents, Catholic Charities worked with the Primera Iglesia Bautista (First Baptist Church) to make available a mobile food pantry twice a month.

Beginning April 1st, the Lompoc office assumed full responsibility for the work. The agency was not able to get into the food pantry building because of court proceedings. So for three months, Catholic Charities’ staff distributed bread and perishables daily at the Primera Iglesia site, and grocery store vouchers from the Lompoc office.

On June 8th, the Catholic Charities’ Food Pantry moved into the existing pantry building at 903 W. Chestnut in Lompoc and is now providing the quality and quantity of food that clients need.

The Lompoc Community Services Office is located at 118 North G Street, Lompoc, CA. Telephone: (805) 736-6226. For a complete list of programs and services offered in the Santa Barbara Region, visit Catholic Charities’ Website, www.CatholicCharitiesLA.org.


	A Message from the Executive Director, Monsignor Gregory A. Cox
	Aesop shares a story about a horse and a donkey that were taken on the same trip by their master. The donkey, who carried all the supplies, said to the horse, “If you would take a share of my load, it would save my life.” But the horse refused to help, and it was not long before the donkey was worn out with fatigue and fell down and died. Then the owner took all the supplies off the dead donkey’s back and put them on the horse’s back, plus the hide of the donkey. Then the horse began to complain, saying “Look at me now. I wouldn’t take the light load when I had the chance and now I have to carry everything—including the donkey.” We are blessed when someone is willing to carry some of the heavy burdens from our shoulders. Our lives are made easier because a friend takes the time to help us confront an issue that we are unable to address by ourselves. Let us never forget to reach out to the homeless and those most vulnerable in our society because if we share their load early we may “save a life”.

San Pedro Region Community Centers Receive
Young Explorer Computer Systems

Catholic Charities’ San Pedro Region was recently selected to receive a 2002 Technology Grant from the IBM Corporation. The purpose of the Technology Grant, administered locally by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, is to provide computer-based learning to young children, ages 3-7, from low-income families who do not have access to a computer at home.

Because children learn while they play, the Young Explorer systems are built into durable, colorful play stations. The computers, which have large, bright, easy-to-press keyboards, are loaded with software that provides an early learning curriculum which incorporates shapes, colors, letters and numbers. By simply clicking the mouse, children can choose from software that teaches subjects such as reading, math, science and how to tell time.

The Young Explorer systems are available at the community center in Long Beach and Mahar House in Wilmington. Both community centers house a Family Resource Center program which focuses on providing services that promote self-reliance and healthy choices. While their parents seek services at the Family Resource Center, young children have access to the Young Explorer computers.

Volunteers are needed to provide instruction, to design classroom activities to maximize learning, and to secure more software for the learning library. For additional information about the early learning program, contact Lupe Macker, San Pedro Regional Director, at (562) 591-1641.