Catholic Charities sets $675,000 goal

Tue., Nov. 22, 2005

By Benjamin Shors benjamins@spokesman.com

In the past three years, 88-year-old Catholic Charities volunteer Tom Lantry has ferried hundreds of passengers to doctor visits, grocery stores or church in his aging Ford sedan.

“I met some of the most interesting people,” said Lantry, a former salesman. “It was a very rewarding experience.”

Lantry retired his car last spring, but like 2,400 other volunteers at Catholic Charities, he has found a way to continue giving. Today, he works the telephone for the nonprofit agency.

Each year, Catholic Charities serves more than 44,000 people in Eastern Washington, providing them food, clothing and safe shelter.

On Monday, the nonprofit agency kicked off its 64th-annual Christmas Collection, a monthlong fund-raiser that provides the bulk of the agency’s budget for the year.

Bishop William Skylstad said the agency hopes to raise $675,000 this year.

“It’s continuing a wonderful tradition not only in the church but in the broader community as well,” Skylstad said at a news conference at the House of Charity, a downtown homeless shelter. “Every dollar is used locally.”

Skylstad said 11 percent of donations come from outside the Catholic Church, and the nonprofit agency serves people of all denominations.

Agency officials stressed that Catholic Charities is a separate nonprofit organization and that none of the donations will go toward legal fees in the Spokane Diocese’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Last year, the fund drive netted $593,000 from 4,300 donors. The money provided support for 15 programs in 50 locations.

“We wish there weren’t that many people who need help in Eastern Washington, but the reality is there are,” said Rob McCann, executive director of Catholic Charities.

Debbie McCollough, a 44-year-old single mother, spent 16 months at St. Margaret’s Shelter, a Catholic-run center for homeless women and their children. McCollough later earned a college degree and now works for Catholic Charities.

“I learned how to be a mother, a friend, a student, an employee,” McCollough said.

Jeffrey Mitchell, 44, landed at House of Charity less than two years ago. Today, he lives in transitional housing and volunteers at the shelter.

“That’s the key word stressed here: ‘compassion,’ ” Mitchell said. “The key is you have to want to change your life.”

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