Every year, we are offered the gift of the grace-filled period called “Advent” that helps us prepare our hearts and minds in a special way for the celebration of the birth of Christ. As we anticipate Christ’s coming, we ask you to consider being the light for Vermonters in need of emergency assistance by making a gift to Vermont Catholic Charities’ 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. Please consider helping people in crisis, especially the most vulnerable among us — children, struggling parents, the elderly and those dealing with medical issues.

Help people like Peter and Crystal keep the heat on. Peter and Crystal have an eight-year-old son. They both are employed, but due to COVID they lost two weeks’ pay and fell behind on bills. They were running low on fuel and had expended their savings on other bills. They were concerned that in the cold of winter they would not be able to refill their tank. We assisted with a fuel delivery and provided a food card to help them get back on their feet. They stated, “We were stressed and felt very alone. This assistance gave us hope and relief. Thank you for helping our family.”

Help people like Sue feed her children. Sue is a single parent of three school-age children. She works full-time but her son has medical issues, so she had to reduce her work hours to care for him and take him to doctors’ appointments. Sue was worried about food and household expenses. Vermont Catholic Charities provided a food card. “Bless you for your kindness and generosity,” she said.

These are real people, and with your support we can assist people just like them, our neighbors in need. Last year, thanks to your generosity, more than 1,100 adults and 800 children received aid through the Advent Appeal and our year-round Emergency Aid Program.

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. Your gift helps us continue to be the hands and feet of Christ, showing God’s love in concrete ways.

On behalf of Vermont Catholic Charities and all the Vermonters you will help, thank you. May the joy and peace of the Advent and Christmas seasons be with you and your loved ones.

With gratitude,

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

—Originally published in the Nov. 12-18, 2022, edition of The Inland See