This year marks the 26th year of Vermont Catholic Charities’ Advent Appeal. On behalf of the thousands of individuals and families that have been helped, thank you for bringing the joy and hope of the Advent season to those in need.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior into our world, we ask you again to join Vermont Catholic Charities Inc. in answering the call to show our love and compassion for Vermonters in need of emergency assistance by making a gift to the annual Advent Appeal.

The “Season of Giving” has no bounds for people in need. At Christmastime and throughout the year, it is a daily struggle for many Vermonters to maintain housing, stay warm or feed their families. This year the need is even greater as the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the vulnerability of the population we serve and brought new families to us for help. We ask you, please, to help people in crisis, especially the most vulnerable among us — children, struggling parents, the elderly and the sick.

Help people like Tom feed his children. Tom is a single father of two teenage boys; he works full-time, so he is not eligible for food assistance. Due to Covid-19, his sons were home full-time. They ran out of basic food items before his next paycheck. We helped Tom with food cards to ensure they would not go hungry.

Help people like Molly and Jimmy keep the heat on. They have a 10-year-old daughter and were excited to welcome a new baby. Unexpectedly, Molly lost her job due to Covid-19 while Jimmy’s hours were reduced. They were out of fuel. We helped with a fuel delivery and provided a food card to ensure the family had heat and food so they could focus on welcoming their new baby.

These are real people, and with your support we can assist people just like them, our neighbors in need. Your gift helps us to continue to show God’s love in concrete ways.

Last year, thanks to your generosity, we assisted more than 1,600 adults and 1,300 children through the Advent Appeal and our Emergency Aid Program.

We ask for your prayerful consideration of a donation to this year’s Appeal; every gift — whatever the size — makes a difference. Please support this worthy effort by sending a check to Vermont Catholic Charities, 55 Joy Drive, South Burlington, VT 05403 or giving online at vermontcatholic.org/ adventappeal.

On behalf of Vermont Catholic Charities and all the Vermonters you will help this year, thank you.

May you have blessed Advent and Christmas seasons.

— Mary Beth Pinard, Executive Director, Vermont Catholic Charities Inc.

Christ Our Hope Campaign Update

A portion of the funds raised through the Christ Our Hope: Building a Vibrant Church campaign supports these types of ministries through the faith formation fund established in the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation. This will ensure stable income for vital faith formation ministries, especially in times of crisis. To learn more about the campaign or make a gift online visit: www.christourhopevt.org.

23% As of November 4: $2,321,808 Goal: $10,000,000

—Originally published in the Nov. 14-20, 2020, issue of The Inland See.