Caritas Samaritans to be honored

CLIFTON  For making a difference in the lives of thousands amid the coronavirus pandemic, diocesan Catholic Charities has announced its 2020 Caritas Samaritans. These caring individuals and organizations, who have gone above and beyond to help many in need, will be honored at the Virtual Caritas Gala at 5p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7 via a video premiere featuring the eight honorees and their good works.

This year’s honorees are the staff, volunteers and donors of diocesan Catholic Chari­ties food pantries, Dr. Hayman Rambaran, Kelly O’Caiside, the Salesian Sisters, Back­packs for Life, Diane Madsen, Straight and Narrow’s operations department and N.J. Pandemic Relief Fund.

The 2020 Caritas Gala is in its 20th year and recognizes individuals and groups who make a difference in the lives of people that Catholic Charities serves at each of its agencies. Traditionally a black-tie event is held every November and is Catholic Charities largest fundraiser of the year. This year’s virtual event will feature the Caritas Samari­tans video, produced by Churchill Media, and a breakout Zoom session with the honorees and key staff of Catholic Charities. Cullari Carrico LCC sponsors the event.

Scott Milliken, CEO of Diocesan Catholic Charities, said, “Our board of trustees and program leaders have made the difficult decision to cancel all of our major in-person events throughout the rest of 2020. The safety of our service recipients, staff members and benefactors is our utmost priority. We are pivoting to several virtual events to honor those who have made a difference during COVID-19 and support our vital ministry.”

In the past two years, nearly $250,000 was raised supporting Catholic Charities and its three agencies — Catholic Family and Community Services, Straight and Narrow and the Department for Persons with Disabilities.

“This year, we really want to highlight our mission and our staff who have been on the front lines during this pandemic. We are helping more people than any time in our 80-year history, and it is important that we show our communities how strong and vital our programs are,” said Chris Brancato, Catholic Charities development director.

More than 70 programs of Catholic Charities have remained operational and they have seen a dramatic increase in the need for their services, most notably their food pantries and emergency support programs. More than $2 million in emergency funding has been provided to those experiencing the economic effects of COVID-19.

“It truly takes a village to provide this level of support for so many people,” Milliken said. “We see our Caritas Virtual Gala as an opportunity to thank several of those who have done so much for so many.”

Following are some of the highlights of the work of this year’s honorees:

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson food pantries (staff, volunteers and donors), have given out more than 1 million pounds of food since the start of the pandemic through its three food pantries — Father English, Paterson; Hope House, Dover, and Partnership for Social Services, Franklin. The staff has worked continuously and donors have allowed the food pantries to provide food to those most in need.

Dr. Hayman Rambaran, medical director of Straight and Narrow, has led the medical team there to ensure that staff and clients were equipped with personal protection equipment (PPE), secured testing kits and worked closely with the laboratory to ensure proper testing was conducted.

Kelly O’Caiside is one of the DPD’s healthcare workers and has worked every day at the Giuliano House group home. She worked in DPD’s offsite quarantine hospital for COVID positive patients to support those most in need of care.

The Salesian Sisters are being honored for making masks for medical professionals and first responders throughout New Jersey since the start of the pandemic. In addition, the sisters have dedicated themselves to hours of daily Eucharistic Adoration in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to pray during the pandemic for all affected by it.

Backpacks for Life have supported homeless and at-risk veterans who are struggling to reintegrate back into civilian life served by diocesan Catholic Charities. Throughout COVID-19, Backpacks for Life has been distributing thousands of PPE to veterans in need and have produced surgical masks for first responders, frontline workers and those protecting communities across New Jersey.

Diane Madsen is the director of DPD’s Gruenert Center Special Needs day program in Lake Hopatcong. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the center was ordered closed by the State of New Jersey. Madsen immediately volunteered to help by grocery shopping for all of DPD’s residential programs throughout three counties to ensure the program staff were not risking exposure to COVID-19 while working in the residences.

Straight and Narrow operations department, under the leadership and direction of Mike Rettagliata, has worked to assure that service recipients and staff were safe. He and the operations department worked alongside program directors to ensure all staff had proper PPE, hand sanitizer and related materials to promote a healthy and safe workplace.

N.J. Pandemic Relief Fund has supported all three of diocesan Catholic Charities agencies during the pandemic with grants to buy food, support its Unmet Needs Fund, purchase PPE and assist with increased COVID­­19 related costs. During their first wave of funding, the relief fund has granted $3.2 million in awards to recipients across all 21 counties of New Jersey.

For more than 80 years, the agencies of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson, have helped people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, operate five preschools in Paterson for low-income families, offer support for at-risk youth, give back to veterans, give help to immigrants, offer friendship and services to seniors, operate the largest nonprofit drug and alcohol recovery center in the country (Straight and Narrow), provide emergency support programs and help the food insecure at its food pantries.

Catholic Charities relies heavily on fundraising to support those in need, but like many other nonprofits has not been able to host a live event since February.

“It is a challenging time for our country, but our Caritas Samaritans represent the good in our world,” Brancato said. “The ministry of Catholic Charities and those who work, volunteer for, and contribute to our organization has been a ray of light during a dark time.”