St. Teresa gives back for the holidays

Published 5:45 pm Sunday, December 15, 2024

by By JUSTIN STORY / justin.story@bgdailynews.com

Thanks to the generosity of St. Teresa Ministries, three organizations that help people in need received an early holiday present.

The St. Teresa Thrift Store was the site of a presentation of a total of $40,000 in grants, funds collected from donors and store profits and awarded to the agencies at the ministry’s Season of Giving event.

Family Enrichment Center received $20,000 to support its services, which include parenting education classes, resources for at-risk families and affordable childcare through its Wee Care Center.

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Good Samaritan Ministries and Down Syndrome of Southern Kentucky were each awarded $10,000 from St. Teresa.

“This means everything to us,” St. Teresa board director Ken Herndon said. “This is a situation where the more donations we get, the more we can do with the checks you see here.”

The organizations that received funding Saturday went through an application process that included giving a presentation to a committee of St. Teresa officials, Herndon said.

The Season of Giving event is one of two occasions during which St. Teresa awards funds to local organizations, the other being an event centered on World Food Day in October that focuses on organizations that promote hunger relief for people in need.

Stephanie Morton, executive director for Down Syndrome of Southern Kentucky, said the $10,000 grant will go into the agency’s general account, supporting programming and supplies at the Buddy House.

The agency relies on donations and grants to serve a 14-county area, with about 75 members being served on a weekly basis, Morton said.

This cash infusion will free up other dollars in an effort to raise capital for a new facility that the agency hopes to build on land it recently purchased, Morton said.

“To be recognized among these other great organizations and have someone see the benefit of our mission is very humbling and very honoring,” Morton said.

Good Samaritan Ministries, a nonprofit that launched in 2022, offers an array of volunteer services to people in need, be it offering transportation or improving in-home accessibility for people with disabilities.

With a network of nearly 60 volunteers, the organization has constructed more than 30 accessibility ramps to help people with disabilities get in and out of their homes.

Mike Byrne, board chairman for Good Samaritan, said the funding demonstrates St. Teresa’s position in what he called the “circle of giving.”

“Many neighbors in our community donate their goods so (the thrift store) can sell to our neighbors in need, and the profits from selling those good help our neighbors directly and indirectly,” Byrne said. “It’s a nexus of charity that we can all grow from and derive benefit from.”

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