Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown opened its annual Season of Giving campaign on Sunday, November 1, launching a 60-day fund drive aimed at families across the diocese’s six-county area who need help with housing, food and utility bills as winter approaches, according to the campaign announcement reported by Metro Monthly.
The appeal runs through the heart of the holiday season, and Catholic Charities says every monetary gift passes through its local agencies in the six-county area as direct assistance to individuals and families — the kind of help that keeps a family’s heat on, puts food on the table and prevents an eviction from becoming homelessness.
The Diocese of Youngstown covers Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark and Trumbull counties, a region where Catholic Charities agencies are a familiar first call for residents who fall behind. The campaign announcement, reported by Metro Monthly, frames the drive as both practical assistance and, in the agency’s words, an expression of compassion for neighbors in need.
Donations can be made online at ccdoy.org, or by mail to the Catholic Charities Administrative Office, c/o Jillian Phillips, 232 Seneca Ave. NE, Warren, Ohio 44481, according to the announcement. Additional opportunities to participate will be posted on the Catholic Charities website as the campaign continues.
Three events with Bishop David J. Bonnar anchor the campaign calendar. The season opens its social calendar on Tuesday, December 1, with Breakfast with the Bishop at the St. Michael Parish Family Life Center, 340 N. Broad St. in Canfield. The morning runs 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., preceded by an optional 8 a.m. Mass, and includes breakfast, a brief presentation from Bishop Bonnar, a holiday bake sale, a basket raffle and a collection of perishable and taxable goods. Tickets are $35 per person and are advance-sale only, Metro Monthly reported.
The next evening, Wednesday, December 2, the campaign moves to Ashtabula County for Bingo With the Bishop at the Our Lady of Peace Community Center, 1200 E. 21st St. in Ashtabula. Doors open at 4 p.m. and bingo begins at 5 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are $50 per person or $480 for a table of eight, with door tickets at $60 in limited quantities; the all-inclusive ticket covers food, drink and a seven-game bingo packet, and proceeds directly support Catholic Charities programs and services in Ashtabula County.
The week’s third event, Social Hour with the Bishop, is set for Thursday, December 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Gervasi Vineyard Resort & Spa, 1700 55th St. NE in Canton. Tickets are $75 per person, advance-sale only, and the evening includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a 50/50 raffle, a basket raffle and live music by cellist Carmen Roebke, according to the announcement reported by Metro Monthly.
The drive is built to meet needs close to home. Because gifts pass through the local Catholic Charities agencies rather than a distant office, a donation made in Stark County supports Stark County programs and an Ashtabula County bingo ticket supports Ashtabula County services, according to the campaign announcement. The Canfield breakfast adds a hands-on element as well: alongside ticket sales, attendees will collect perishable and taxable goods — the everyday household items assistance programs say families request most and that food stamps and many aid programs do not cover.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: the campaign is underway now and runs 60 days; gifts fund housing stability, food and utility assistance delivered through local Catholic Charities agencies; and the three bishop events are scheduled for December 1, 2 and 3 in Canfield, Ashtabula and Canton. What we’re still waiting on: Catholic Charities has not announced a public fundraising goal for this year’s drive or a final tally date, and further campaign events are expected to be added on the agency’s website as the season progresses.
Community giving drives like this one run alongside other Ohio efforts to meet basic needs this season — including a university-and-Habitat partnership building a home for a Southeast Ohio family, covered in our earlier reporting: Ohio University and Habitat launch the Bobcat Build.
What happens next: the Season of Giving continues through the end of December, with donations accepted online and by mail throughout. The first campaign event, Breakfast with the Bishop in Canfield, is December 1 — and because tickets are advance-sale only, anyone planning to attend any of the three events needs to buy before the day, through the Catholic Charities website at ccdoy.org.