Catholic Community Services in need of donations

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SALT LAKE CITY/OGDEN — “Since 1945, Catholic Community Services of Utah has been empowering people in need along the Wasatch Front to reach self-sufficiency,” states the organization’s web page. CCS operates the Weigand Homeless Resource Center and St. Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City, and the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden, offering a variety of programs that provide food and income security, homeless resources, refugee and immigration services, among other assistance.

Last year the organization provided 440,696 hot meals, distributed more than 2 million pounds of food, gave 50,551 bags of groceries to students, served more than 83,000 individuals who were homeless, resettled 625 refugees and assisted 1,342 refugees, according to ccsutah.org.

To make all this possible, CCS relies heavily on the community for support and donations. With increasing demands, however, the organization is in need of more help.

In the last six months, CCS has received more than 400 refugees from Afghanistan, Burma, Congo, Guatemala, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela, said Aden Batar, director of CCS’ Migration and Refugee Services.

“We expect hundreds more coming in the next few months,” he added.

When a refugee family arrives, “CCS has to secure housing and fully furnish it with all the essentials,” including large furniture like dining room sets, couches, dressers and coffee tables, Batar said.

To do this CCS operates a sharehouse that stores all the items donated for this purpose. However, currently “we are out of all types of furniture, household items, cleaning supplies, bedding, towels, etc.,” Batar said. “We need these donations right now as we don’t have any of these items in our sharehouse.”

The CCS Amazon Wishlist at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2WACUDLQWFSN2?ref_=wl_share contains some of the most-needed items. Donations also can be delivered directly to the sharehouse, which is located at 440 South 400 West Suite D & E, Salt Lake City.

In addition to furniture, among the most needed items are paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, bath towels and other household items as well as all hygiene items.

 The sharehouse started operating in the early 1980s when “we started the refugee resettlement program,” and has provided for the homes of thousands of refugee families resettled through CCS, Batar said.

“Our communities have had the opportunity to donate to CCS sharehouse ever since we started the program,” he added.

The Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden, the largest food pantry in northern Utah, also is in need of donations to restock their shelves.

The food bank provides for 1,600 households on a monthly basis, said Randy Chappell, director of CCS Basic Needs.

“In the past couple of years we have seen more families and individuals seeking for food, and donations are down,” he said.

Most in need are peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables, soup, pasta, cereals, rice, diapers and hygiene articles, among other items (see box).

“As the largest food pantry in northern Utah, we want to make sure that we continue to be the support for those in need,” Chappell said.

Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2504 F Ave., Ogden.

Most Needed Items

At Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank, Ogden:

• Pantry packs

• Peanut butter

• Canned fruit

• Canned vegetables (no green beans)

• Canned meat and soup

• Dry milk

• Cereal

• Pasta

• Rice

• Canned spaghetti sauce

• Hamburger Helper

• Newborn clothes

• Muslin burp clothes

• Unscented baby wipes

• Diapers

• Nonperishable food items

• Individually packaged snack items

• All hygiene items (body wash, shampoo, conditioner, razors, deodorant, soap, toothpaste and feminine hygiene products)

Donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2504 F Ave., Ogden.

At CCS Sharehouse, Salt Lake City:

High priority items

• Paper towels

• Toilet paper

• Cleaning supplies

• Bath towels

• Dining tables and chairs

Other needed items

• Toilet bowl cleaner, toilet brushes and plungers

• Cleaning supplies such as sponges, all-purpose cleaners, window cleaner, disinfectant spray and wipes, bleach, mops, brooms and dustpans, and trash bags

• Laundry items such as detergent, irons and ironing boards

• Shower curtain rings and liners

• Kitchen items such as handheld mixers, toasters, coffee makers, tea kettles and pressure cookers

• Hand soap, dishwasher soap, dish soap and dish washers

• Space heaters

• Thermometers

• First-aid kits

• Feminine hygiene products

• Baby items such as wipes, diapers (size 4, 5 and 6), strollers, car booster seats

• All hygiene items such as hand sanitizer, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, razors, deodorant, soap, tooth brushes and toothpaste

Visit https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2WACUDLQWFSN2?ref_=wl_share to donate. Donations also can be delivered directly to the sharehouse, which is located at 440 South 400 West Suite D & E, Salt Lake City.