During this difficult time, we are called as a Church to rise to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout our community. The same is true of our school communities and the response of our Catholic schools have humbled us and made us grateful for the example they are providing of God's light in this world.  This work is not possible without the commitment of our school staff and leadership, and wonderful friends like you, who understand the importance of preparing our children for a bright and faith-filled future especially in what seems like a dark time.  

We are most grateful for friends who have asked how they can help our students and our schools during this time--friends like the Scanlan Foundation, who have a long and storied history of supporting Catholic education and firmly believing there is no better investment to make than to invest in the education of a child.  Through the generosity of the Scanlan Foundation, we have received a gift of $250,000 to help support our schools and become an incentive MATCH.  We are inviting everyone in the community to join us, in making a donation to help us match this most generous gift. 

 

What is being accomplished & how much need is there?

In assessing and serving the needs of families in our school communities and beyond, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been providing for the following and anticipate the needs growing within the next 8 weeks:

Food Distribution

With school campuses being closed, during distance learning and now for the next 8 weeks of Summer, there is an increased necessity to provide for students who rely on their school cafeterias for the stability of daily meals.  It is a reality that many of our students and their public /charter school friends face and increasingly so with the rise of layoffs and economic uncertainty in our communities today.  Our Archdiocesan response has been to enlist the assistance of our Cafeteria Managers and our Director of Child Nutrition has been working with that team and our school principals to prepare and offer families in the area a two-week supply of family meals.
To date, approximately 200 families have been served through distribution of these meals at these convenient drive-thru school sites across the Archdiocese. 

• Queen of Peace
• St Christopher 
• St Pius V 
• Assumption
• Holy Ghost
• Holy Family 
• Resurrection

As a result of COVID19 USDA/Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has provided opportunities for schools to provide meals to students, especially in our Inner City Catholic Schools, which are located in historically under-served communities, during the summer months.  The goal is to close the hunger gap that might occur for some families and their children during the summer months. The meals will be made available twice a week, for 8 weeks, at the locations listed below.  These meals would be at no cost to students enrolled in our ICCS schools.   
 
Summer Distribution Sites:

• Assumption
• Holy Ghost
• Resurrection
• St. Christopher 

Tuition Assistance 

In the wake of the furloughs and layoffs we have witnessed across our communities, families are faced with a need of assistance to provide their children with a quality education and we are committed to providing as much assistance as we can to keep our students in the classes they love, with teachers who are devoted to their academic success, and from having to endure another difficult transition in their educational journey.  As of today, our campuses have expressed a need for Total Tuition Support in the amount of$755,512 to bring them current from the Spring semester. 

In the next 8 weeks, we expect that number to dramatically increase as the reality of changed economic situations take place and more current families and families who wish to join our communities find themselves in need.  We are asking that you join us, your contribution to the Covid-19 Response endeavor has the potential to positively impact the lives of not only our students, but our greater community.  We ask you to prayerfully discern making a gift, today, to the fund and transforming the world for our students.