Things are just starting to open up in California, but it seems we've got a long way to go before we can meet at large venues. So we will push on with online fundraising and hope for the best. With the help of many, God will provide! We just started a See's Candies fundraiser for the Easter season, and this will be immediately followed by a St. Patrick's Day "Zoom" Bingo fundraiser on March 20th which will give us an opportunity to get family and friends together. We are close to our goal of funding the Catholic high school scholarships for this year, and then we will see how much we can help a young lady with a calling to the religious life who needs to pay off her student debt through The Labouré Society before can proceed. Her name is Erin Lyons , and her story of being called from her career as an ER nurse to the religious life is most compelling. Erin has chosen to enter the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Carrollton, Ohio. As a court, we will do what we can to support her vocation. If you would like to hear Erin's story, watch her video on Labouré's website . We invite you to donate to her cause if you are able. God bless!

The initial tally of funds collected from our Virtual Bake Sale shows over $1,000 in donations. Thank you!!! Our Catholic Daughters court, like most of our courts, has very little or no overhead in conducting charitable campaigns such as this one. So we are happy to take the entire amount collected and split it 50/50 between His Hands Food Pantry in Upland and Mary's Mercy Center in San Bernardino. If you can donate (non-expired) non-perishable food to either of these food banks, please contact them directly at the links above . Highly-prized items would be peanut butter, canned fruit or vegetables (with pop-top lids), Vienna sausages, and applesauce packets. If God has blessed you with an abundance, please consider sharing your resources with the less fortunate since all food banks are in dire need. More and more families have their breadwinners who are losing their jobs. WE ALL have to take the initiative . And many of these families are now at risk for losing their homes. As a Court we are looking into how we can support those families with their mortgages. If you know of any non-profit responding to this particular need, please use the "Contact Us" button at the foot of this page. Again, thank you! And God bless you all!

Dear Friends and Benefactors, We really need to bring to your attention to just how dire the situation is for parents and young people who have lost their jobs or have had their work hours reduced. Food banks across the country have been closing down for lack of donations. And ones that remain open are struggling. A lot of this is caused by the pandemic-driven, government-mandated shutdowns and restrictions on businesses who employ so many people. So if you are fortunate to have your job and/or business intact these days, please consider these things you can do to help those who are truly in need: 1. Give some of your time to serve at a food bank or soup kitchen 2. Collect any extra non-perishable food in your pantry, and take these to your local food bank 3. The next time you go to the grocery store, purchase some non-perishable food that you can take to your local food bank -- peanut butter, jam or jelly, canned food or fruit with pop-tops, oatmeal, rice, flour, pasta, spaghetti sauce, evaporated milk, boxed almond milk ... 4. Pray for the poor and those who are suffering with depression, addictions, mistreatment, and homelessness 5. And if you can't leave your home or it is easier to pull out your credit card, please consider donating through our Virtual Bake Sale so that our Catholic Daughters court can distribute the proceeds to our 2 local food banks: Mary's Mercy Center in San Bernardino, CA, and His Hands Food Pantry in Upland, CA _________________________________ In Matthew 25:31-40 , Jesus spoke to his disciples about the final judgment of the nations. I am sure you are familiar with these lines: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me ... And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'" Whether you can help or need help, God bless you all!

So why a Blog?

A little list to help you get through this time.