A Joyous Ending to 2021

This past holiday season has been one to remember for Catholic Charities of Southern Colorado. Because of our wonderful community partners, the agency received a plethora or gifts to give the families and individuals we serve. We want to thank St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Pueblo Bikers United, Pacific Supply, St. Therese Catholic Church, St. Mary Catholic Church and the many other generous donors and organizations for thinking of Catholic Charities’ families this past holiday season!

This season, we were able to provide gifts to many families throughout our 15 programs. One particular family that was enrolled in our Parents As Teachers (PAT) program had been going through a particularly rough time, and the gifts they received did an incredible job at brightening their holidays.

A Brighter Holiday

Within the last couple months of 2021, the Johnson family lost both a grandfather and grandmother to COVID only about a week apart. The losses deeply affected the whole family. Despite the hardships the family had just endured, they were still trying to see the best in their situation, pushing forward despite the sadness especially during Christmas.

With the holidays creeping ever closer and two funerals to plan, the family struggled to make ends meet let alone afford Christmas gifts for their two kiddos. During one of their program visits, Mom was stressed about their financial situation and mentioned that she only bought the baby a small Christmas gift because their finances were significantly

affected by both funerals.

“Fortunately, I was able to get some gifts for her and her children. For the child enrolled in the program (2-year-old), I selected some cars and a shape sorter, and for the oldest one (6-year-old) I chose a scooter,” recalled the family’s Parent Educator.

Mom was beyond grateful to receive the gifts for the children since they not only gave the kids something else to focus on besides the funerals, but also helped them learn and develop new skills!

Although the Christmas season is not entirely about receiving gifts, the generously donated gifts and monetary donations that Catholic Charities received this past holiday season helped to bring joy to many families just like the Johnson’s!