CHARLOTTE — Fifth-graders from St. Patrick School recently pitched in at the Catholic Charities’ food pantry in Charlotte – organizing and stocking shelves and packing bags of food to be distributed to people in need.

The students volunteered in two groups – one on Jan. 31 and the other on Feb. 4 – to help out at the food pantry, which is one of Catholic Charities’ largest operations in Charlotte. It typically distributes over 100,000 pounds of food to more than 2,000 people each year.

“We are grateful to the students at St. Patrick School,” said Sylvia Sekle, the food pantry supervisor. “Getting involved in charitable work such as feeding the hungry is an integral part of our Catholic faith – something they’re appreciating already at a young age.”

The food pantry is just one of the ways Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte serves people in need in the Charlotte region. The social service agency provides “wrap-around” services to individuals and families through its Transition Out of Poverty program – providing people with a customized path out of poverty. This transformative service helps individuals and families develop a long-term plan to overcome obstacles that keep them from achieving their dreams. In addition to food and other emergency aid, Catholic Charities case workers help people with job searches, referrals for health care, guidance on educational needs, support with accessing affordable housing, connection to local community resources, and more.

Learn more how you can get involved: www.ccdoc.org.

— Catholic News Herald