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Catholic Community Services needs volunteers for in-person service, refugee foster care
Friday, May. 07, 2021
Volunteers from St. Vincent de Paul Parish help serve a meal at Catholic Community Services St. Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City.
By Laura Vallejo
Intermountain Catholic
SALT LAKE CITY – As Catholic Community Services of Utah returns to in-person operation after almost 14 months of limited service due to the pandemic, volunteers are greatly needed to sustain the organization’s mission.
Since 1945 CCS has served millions in need; every month the nonprofit agency serves more than 6,700 individuals who are homeless, nearly 270 refugee cases are managed and about 185,845 pounds of food is distributed in the Salt Lake and Ogden areas.
| Updated: 6:06 p.m.
Back in February, President Joe Biden directed his government to make a “down payment” on his promise to boost the number of refugees allowed into the country.
He wanted to bring in up to 62,500 displaced people, far more than the 15,000 that former President Donald Trump had authorized.
On Friday, Biden took that down payment off the table. He has decided to keep the level Trump put in place for this fiscal year.
It’s a move that has deflated refugee resettlement organizations and the people they help, including those in Utah, one of the most welcoming states for refugees.
| Updated: 1:24 p.m.
Joe Bidenâs presidential victory came as a relief to many in Utahâs refugee community, particularly to those who help resettle these families.
This new president supported their work and promised to boost the number of vulnerable people from war-ravaged countries that are welcome into our communities.
It was time to ramp up.
Each state has resettlement agencies. In Utah, they are the International Rescue Committee and Catholic Community Services. These groups began bracing for a rush of families by furnishing apartments, working with schools and potential employers, and preparing a network to help these new Utahns get established.