Parishes available to help those in need

Many in need in Ponca City have been turning to Saint Mary Catholic Church for more than a decade. For basic needs. And more.

Thanks to the Blessed Stanley Rother Committee.

“We had our first meeting as a group in 2011,” said Linda Brandt, a member of the organization, along with Cleta Privett and volunteer Jodie Schutte. “At the very beginning we did a lot of talking about what we wanted to do, not just for our parish, but the community. Some of the suggestions that came up were helping people with utilities and rent.”

They still help with utilities and rent but there is more they do today, including maintaining a database of community resources that they can refer people to.

Fellow parishioners step in to help, too.

“We have volunteers that come every Thursday morning to work the office,” Brandt said, adding that they are there from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

The Blessed Stanley Rother committee serves those in need Kay County. From a Thanksgiving food drive in November to aiding those with financial insecurities, they also refer them to fellow community-minded service organizations to provide help any way possible, living out their faith to spread love in their own community.

The clients who come in are quickly greeted by one of the volunteers. They fill out a form detailing what type of help they need, and they soon start discussing how the church can step in.

“The main thing they come for are utilities, gas vouchers for emergencies and sometimes we help with rent, if they have an eviction notice,” Privett said.

For those who need help with rent or utilities, they will only receive the last $50 of the bill and can only seek help once every six months.

“They have to prove they have the remainder already paid, or committed to be paid by another organization,” Privett said.

Saint Mary Catholic Church does not have an official food pantry, yet that is one service they connect clients to through other community resources, such as the New Emergency Resource Agency (NERA), which is the largest food bank in Kay County. It is but one organization that provides food for needy families, as clients are also referred to Peachtree Landing, The Mission and First Christian Church for the Friendship Feast, which provides an evening meal each Monday through Thursday.

Saint Mary Catholic Church is hardly alone in reaching out to a community in need. Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City joins parishes across the Archdiocese and they serve families in need through the Saint Vincent De Paul Society. Nick Drenzek is the president of the organization at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

“The Saint Vincent De Paul Society is a global organization that serves neighbors in need,” Drenzek said, adding that the neighbors are those who live within certain neighborhoods near their respective parish. “We’re involved in stopping chronic conditions from developing.”

They provide many of the same services as Saint Mary Catholic Church, but have their own guidelines on how to provide those services. Where Ponca City residents can approach the church itself, those seeking help from Saint Vincent De Paul parishes must call a hotline, and representatives of the organizations will make contact with them, asking for their needs.

“We will assign them two Vincentians, and we’re all volunteers. The Vincentians will call the neighbors and work more closely with the neighbors,” he said. “We’ll also do a home visit 99 percent of the time.”

That assistance involves working with landlords and utilities to aid in bill payments.

“We’ll make their pledges and we’ll call the utilities back,” he said. “If there is an eviction notice or shut off notice, that is where we step in.” 

There is also a small food pantry for neighbors in need.

“The Catholic Church has always been open to people in need,” Brandt said. 

Everett Brazil, III is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.



Photo: Cleta Privett, right, helps the Bl. Stanley Rother committee at St. Mary Catholic Church in Ponca City provide community assistance to those who need help with rent or utilities each Thursday. Parish Secretary Desiree Wathor, left, also helps with the assistance throughout the week. Photo Everett Brazil, III/ Sooner Catholic