CCS holiday efforts brought cheer to community

Courtesy photo/Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

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From left, Durrell Annis, Catholic Community Services of Utah Basic Needs office manager and Bridging the Gap coordinator; Damian Aguilera, CCS Basic Needs Northern Utah volunteer coordinator; and Reid Blair, CCS warehouse worker and driver, prepare a table of holiday food for pickup.

Kearstin Cantrell

SALT LAKE CITY — In a year marked by uncertainty and change, Catholic Community Services of Utah worked to bring help and create hope in our communities this holiday season.

CCS’ Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden continued its annual distribution of holiday food for families in the Ogden area during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Traditionally, clients would enter the food bank and shop for their items much like shopping in a supermarket. However, amidst COVID-19, this year’s annual distribution looked different than in years past.

This year, CCS clients received their meals curbside. CCS employees filled tables with everything a family could need for a holiday meal – bread, canned goods and turkey, fruit and vegetables, stuffing and dessert. Clients were then able to load their vehicles with groceries and head home to prepare a nutritious meal for their families.

While distribution may have differed from previous years, CCS was still able to provide 2,687 families with a holiday meal.

In Salt Lake City, CCS’ St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall joined efforts with community advocate Pamela Atkinson, The Grand America Hotel, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and volunteers to deliver 1,300 steak dinners to those experiencing homelessness on Christmas.

Each person was also provided with a blanket, coat, socks, underwear and hygiene kit.

“I think it’s amazing that our community came together to adopt a tradition that’s been so wonderful for our community and clients even in the midst of all the logistical nightmares that COVID brought,” said Katie Zimmerman, manager of CCS’ Basic Needs Operations. “It’s been an 18-year tradition for us and Pamela. We consider her a part of the CCS family and we’re so grateful that we were able to continue the tradition this year.”

CCS also worked to provide Christmas gifts for children in the Refugee Resettlement and Refugee Foster Care programs through Gift of the Drummer.

Case managers gathered information for each child, including age, gender, clothing sizes and needs, and toys or gifts they would like. This information was given to around 45 donors, who provided gift bags for ,pre than 200 children.  

This year, donors were also given the option to create a gift for a child arriving this year, as well as Refugee Welcome Kits. These kits, filled with essential items like shower curtains and kitchen utensils, will be given to clients to help them settle into their new home.

“With all that’s happened this year, it was great to see everyone come together to provide for these kids even when they may have been struggling themselves,” said Brittany Moulton, manager of CCS’ Volunteer and Community Relations. “It was neat to see everybody rally behind it.”

Through not only the holiday season, but every season, Catholic Community Services aims to assist and empower community members in need, while rallying the community to join in the effort.

Kearstin Cantrell is the marketing coordinator for Catholic Community Services of Utah.