Since 1981, the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal has assisted countless people – regardless of race, religion, or color – across the Archdiocese of Hartford with health care, education, housing, emergency expenses, and in numerous other areas.
This year, the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry received a check in the amount of $7,500 from the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.
This grant will be used directly to continue the work for which we are called —to feed the hungry, to offer comfort to the weary, and to serve all who come to our doors seeking nourishment, both of body and spirit. Specifically, this funding will help us feed the hungry who come to our doors for dinner 365 days of the year.
We are in “challenging times when homelessness continues to rise in Hartford for the third consecutive year,” says Fr. Mike Johnson, O.F.M., Executive Director of the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, “the increasing costs of rent, electricity, and food have pushed many into severe food insecurity. Even those who remain housed struggle to meet the basic needs of daily life.” The Franciscan Center serves dinner 365 days a year, and has experienced a sharp increase in the number of meals provided, for example, in September 2024, we served over 1,000 more meals than in the same month last year.
$1,500 of those funds was earmarked for Catherine’s Place where we continue to provide transitional housing for men in the Open Hearth Program.
About the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry
The Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry at St. Patrick – St. Anthony Church is the home of the Sandwich Ministry, which serves the hungry of Hartford by serving dinner 365 days of the year. The work of the Franciscan Center is to help a diverse population of the poor, the alienated, and the marginalized – to feed the hungry, to offer comfort to the weary, and to serve all who come to our doors seeking nourishment, both of body and spirit. Volunteers from all over the region give their time and talent to help alleviate food insecurity, housing insecurity, and to work for justice by advocating for a better world.