Celebrating Dignity & Worth
When Taylor first came to Catholic Charities’ Miami Village Food Pantry in December 2025, she was beautifully dressed and well-spoken. Yet, when our receptionist and Food Pantry Coordinator, Crystal, asked, “Have you visited Catholic Charities before?” there was a tremor in her voice when she responded, “We’ve never been to a food pantry before.”
A visit to an unfamiliar place of any kind can be daunting, let alone when one is seeking assistance for the first time. Fronting Miami Street, Catholic Charities’ South Bend office sits in a bustling, high-traffic speed zone. With inadequate parking, a barely visible entrance, and a small waiting room with the food pantry line often extending along the sidewalk, it is challenging to navigate for clients seeking food, financial assistance, or legal advice.
Despite our building’s limitations, volunteers and staff treat our clients with dignity as Christ calls us to do.
“We’re happy you came in tonight,” Crystal said. “Are you here for the food pantry, or is there another way we can help you today? By the way, I love your jacket, it brings out the blue in your eyes.”
Seeing the deeper need in Taylor’s eyes, Crystal introduced her to Leah, the Community Services Supervisor, who spent time hearing Taylor’s story, and connecting beyond just providing food. A mother of two, Taylor and her husband were juggling jobs, children, and a recent cancer diagnosis. This significant health event took her family from stability to spiraling bills in the blink of an eye. Catholic Charities provided a hand up to Taylor and beyond this, recognition of and appreciation for her God-given dignity. When she visits the Food Pantry now, she has friendly faces welcoming her with food, giving her respite and the capacity to cover her family’s living expenses.
The Miami Village Food Pantry is both the front door of Catholic Charities and the door to identifying and meeting our clients’ unique needs.
The Impact of SNAP on Working Families
Taylor’s story reflects a growing reality for working families as recent policy changes reduce access to SNAP benefits. SNAP, the nation’s largest anti‑hunger program, has long supported working parents by helping cover food while freeing up income for rent and utilities, especially benefiting children’s health and development. Now, changes to federal spending have left many Hoosier families newly ineligible for assistance, driving more first‑time visits to food pantries and increasing demand at our food pantries.
$6.17
The average SNAP benefit per person per day.
55%
of SNAP households with children have at least one working parent.
9.5%
In Indiana, SNAP participation decreased last year.
Creating a Culture of Encounter
In light of these policy changes, now more than ever, we need to invest in our food pantry to aid the 4,130+ people we served last year, making it a dignity-centered experience for all who walk through our doors.
*AI rendering of a remodeled food pantry
ENCOUNTER
We envision creating:
A light-filled, large Welcome Room
Play area
Public and private seating
Welcoming space for volunteers
Space for staff to meet with clients and offer wrap-around service
DIGNITY
Will you help create a culture of encounter?
Help support the renovation of Catholic Charities’ Miami Village Welcome Room and Food Pantry!
Please join us by making a pledge or gift today: www.ccfwsb.org/donate. For more information, contact Kellie Porter at kporter@ccfwsb.org or 574-360-1970.
We will transform from providing pre-packed groceries to offering “partial choice shopping,” allowing clients to actively participate in choosing their families’ groceries.