7000 W. 111th Street
Suite 101, Worth, IL 60482
Contact: Jeff Simms
Phone: (708) 430-0428
Fax: (708) 430-0502

Ways to Get Involved in the Southwest Region

• Food Drives and Donations
• Food Pantry Volunteers
• Furniture Drive for Homeless Families
• Volunteer at Cooke's Manor and Serve a Meal
• Refugee Resettlement Program
• Professional Medical Services
• Professional Legal Services
• Maternity and Adoption Program

Prepare or Serve a Meal for the Hungry and Homeless

Catholic Charities Southwest Regional Office has suppers for the homeless and hungry on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 6:45pm.  A meal is served to approximately 100 people from the surrounding area. Some come because financially it helps to have one less meal to buy each week, and others come for the fellowship of sharing a meal.

Volunteers can get involved in several ways. It is possible to sponsor the cost of a meal or prepare the meal. Food needs to be ready by 5:30 and can be prepared in the kitchen onsite or brought to the supper location and warmed. We also welcome groups to serve the meal to our clients. Volunteers arrive at 5:30 and are usually done at 7pm. Contact Betty Chambers at (708) 430-0428 to sign up for one of these opportunities or to find out about other ways to get involved with the suppers.

Food Drives and Donations

One of the Catholic Charities' primary ministries is running food pantries throughout the Chicagoland area. Although many of our food pantries receive some support from the state and federal government, we also depend on the generous food contributions of canned meat, dry goods, cereal, juice boxes, vegetables, and canned goods. Many schools in the area enjoy doing food drives or collecting items that children can relate to such as peanut butter and jelly drives. Other schools have done events such as penny wars or hosting an evening where soup is served and the admission charged is donated to Catholic Charities. There are any number of possibilities and individuals wishing to donate are always welcome. Contact Jeff Simms to learn more at (708) 430-0428.

Food Pantry Volunteers

There are two ways volunteers could get involved with our food pantries. One option is to volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). The GCFD is one of the primary sources of food for our food pantry at St. Blase as well as other pantries in Chicago. Volunteers there are able to donate their time on behalf of an organization and the organization receives monetary credit ($3 per hour served) toward its purchases of food. The GCFD is able to accommodate individuals or very large groups of almost any age during several different timeframes, including Saturdays. Contact the GCFD at (773) 247-3663 and make sure you put your organization as Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Another option is to volunteer at St. Blase between 9am and 4pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. Volunteers prepare the bags of food, sort donations received, and handle the actual distribution and tracking of the food. Contact Jeff Simms at (708) 430-0428 or Sister Noemi at (708) 563-2407 to begin volunteering.

Furniture Drive for Homeless Families

Catholic Charities runs a program called New Hope Apartments which takes homeless families and puts them in an apartment. Because the people entering the program have been living on the street, Catholic Charities provides all the items the family needs to get settled. Items like dressers and furniture are always needed. Parish groups can organize a collection of the items that would be needed. In many cases, it is possible to meet the family on move-in day. To organize a project like this, contact Jeff Simms at (708) 430-0428.

Volunteer at Cooke's Manor and Serve a Meal

Cooke's Manor on the Hines VA Hospital campus provides transitional housing for men and veterans. Groups are welcome to prepare and share a Sunday meal with the men staying there. The meal should plan for approximately 40 people and should be served at 4pm on Sunday. Italian beef sandwiches, pizza, and other meals that would not be provided by the Greater Chicago Food Depository are favorites. The residents are often eager to interact and visit with the groups serving the meal. Those interested should sign up through Fr. Bulwith by calling (312) 948-6602.

Refugee Resettlement Program

The Refugee Resettlement Program is an international rescue program that provides comprehensive, ethnic specific resettlement services to refugees from various regions of the world during their period of adaptation to a new environment. The goal of these services is to address problems specific to refugee individuals or families with an emphasis on linguistic and cultural barriers to help facilitate entry into the United States work force and have less or no dependency on public assistance.  Families, individuals, churches, and other groups can get involved at several different levels such as providing household items or food for the family on move-in, sponsoring housing expenses, or by providing other types of assistance for the program.  To learn more, contact Jeff Simms at (708) 430-0428.

Professional Medical Services

Many of the programs run by Catholic Charities offer medical services such as screenings and health checks for clients and classes explaining various health risks or prevention procedures. Annually, we also run health fairs for school children and their families at various locations. Many of these services are only available because of the generous time donated by professionals in the medical field. If you would like to donate your skills at one of our many programs, contact Jeff Simms at (708) 430-0428.

Professional Legal Services

Catholic Charities provides assistance to immigrants and refugees in identifying and assessing eligibility for benefits provided by the Illinois department of Human Services. We also run the Legal Assistance and Resource Center which assesses client's legal needs and directs them to the appropriate resources, clinics, and/or pro bono attorneys. If you would be willing to help with these services or become one of our contacts for legal service, please contact Jeff Simms at (708) 430-0428.

Maternity and Adoption Program

Catholic Charities' maternity and adoption program provides support for pregnant teens and others dealing with unplanned pregnancies. Clients receive social services and educational support in making a plan for the care of their baby. Options that are explored include parenting, relative placement, and making a plan for adoption. Volunteers are welcome to prepare baskets containing many of the items a newborn baby will need or could even host a baby shower to gather items for a young parent. Contact Georgette Breske (312) 655-7073 for more information.