Catholic Charities Says Community Plays Large Role in its Success

(KNSI) – Last week, Catholic Charities handed out its Good Samaritan Awards. One of the recipients was Leighton Media, the parent company of KNSI Radio.

Catholic Charities Executive Director Steve Pareja says Leighton’s support of events such as Pack the Porches allows his organization to carry out good works on a grand scale.

“We distributed 1.7 million pounds of food in 2022. And right now we’re on pace to exceed 1.8 million in 2023.”

In total, Catholic Charities served over 44,200 people last year. The St. Cloud metropolitan area officially consists of Benton and Stearns Counties, which had a combined population of just under 200,000 people in the 2020 census. Even when factoring in parts of other counties, Catholic Charities helps almost one out of every six people in the region. That is only possible because of an outpouring of financial and volunteer support.

Pareja says his organization has some lesser-known programs that still leave a large impact on the community.

“The youth house is our transitional shelter for kids that are homeless or near homeless, kids that are sleeping in cars, maybe couch hopping. We have the ability to take kids in there, ages 18 to 24, and they can be there for up to two years.”

Anyone at the youth house must be committed to finishing their GED or college courses. If they aren’t seeking out an academic degree, then they have to be employed as a condition of staying at the facility.

Catholic Charities says the Leighton family has been involved with the group for over 35 years. Pareja appeared on KNSI Mornings with Bob Hughes on Monday.

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