Jon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran, has had lifelong, worsening health problems as a result of being exposed to Agent Orange during his service. His health struggles started with diabetes, which, as he put it, “ruined” his kidneys. As a result, for years Jon has required life-saving kidney dialysis three days each week. Initially, Jon was […]
View Full Story
When we interviewed Cleo, a Senior Companion of 10 years, about the impact of the program on her homebound senior clients, she said, “I think they live longer.” It turns out, she’s right. Loneliness and social isolation are now acknowledged to be major public health risks. In fact, being lonely and socially isolated is worse […]
View Full Story
In case you missed it—Alma Santos, Coordinator at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Center, along with her mother, Catalina, and their family were featured on the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade! The Center has come a long way since Catalina began the food pantry years ago. We are so proud of Alma and her mother! […]
View Full Story
When we gather with our family or friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, we probably don’t think much about how we will get to the gathering. Transportation is something we often take for granted. It’s easy to forget that for many poor and vulnerable people in Ohio, transportation is one of the biggest barriers to success and […]
View Full Story
When Sue moved into a new senior housing complex three years ago after her husband’s death, she expected to find friends and form a community. After all, 60% of the residents were older single women such as herself. She hadn’t counted on only a small percentage of them speaking her language fluently. Even with her […]
View Full Story
“They say it takes a community to raise a child… It takes a community to battle addiction.” -Sam Quinones, Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic When Dora and Steve gained temporary custody of their three granddaughters, they were relieved. They hoped to be able to provide a measure of stability for the girls—who had […]
View Full Story
This year, Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) had the opportunity to host an intern at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Center in West Columbus. We had the privilege of working with Jacob Fries, a rising sophomore who is studying Environmental Sciences and Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He helped with a number of […]
View Full Story
When 8-year-old “Enrique” confided to his 76-year-old African-American Foster Grandparent, Ms. Welch, that he had never seen or worked so closely with a Black person before, she made it her mission to extend herself to him in an extra-special way. Enrique moved from Puerto Rico in 2017 after Hurricane Maria devastated his community. He could […]
View Full Story
For the past four years, Catholic Social Services of Columbus’ (CSS) sister agency, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, has been providing assistance to tens of thousands of refugees and immigrants at its Humanitarian Respite Center 10 miles from the Mexican border. The Center has been on the front lines since well before the […]
View Full Story
197 E. Gay Street
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 221-5891
Our Lady of Guadalupe Center
409 Industry Drive
Columbus, OH 43204
(614) 340-7061
1031 Brice Street
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 345-2565
St. Francis Catholic Outreach Center
2311 Stockham Lane
Portsmouth, OH 45662
(740) 353-3185
422 Main Street, Ste 400
P.O. Box 3446
Zanesville, OH 43702-3446
(740) 452-5057