Welcome from the Executive Director

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.  Sally Koch, author

Dear Friends, 

A year in the life of Catholic Charities of Onondaga County brings many different challenges, as well as many opportunities. Every year, we provide services to over 26,000 people in Central New York.  We offer over 25 different programs and operate multiple sites, serving those in need throughout every season of the year.  In the winter, our Oxford Street Inn swells with the number of homeless men who need to come in from the cold.  Spring finds our Project Fix program busy helping seniors with home repairs after the long, harsh winter.  In the summer, our neighborhood centers are filled with laughing children who receive meals and go on field trips to the beach and the zoo.  And once school starts up again in the fall, our pre-K, after school programs, and teen programs offer children of all ages a safe, nurturing environment where they can learn, play, and have a nutritious snack.

These are just a few examples of the services that Catholic Charities provides during an average year; there are so many more.  All year long, we provide emergency assistance to those in need of food, rental assistance, clothing, and shelter.  We offer a variety of parent education and family support programs to strengthen parenting skills and family bonds.  Refugees who are fleeing persecution in their home countries are welcomed at the airport by our staff – often at 2 in the morning - and assisted in beginning a new life in a new country.  And a variety of services are available to help senior citizens remain independent in their own homes, such as transportation, financial case management, home visitors, and socialization programs.

 Eighty-nine years after Bishop Curley founded our agency, we are still advocating, at every opportunity, for those in need. We are constantly seeking new collaborations, new partnerships, new services, and new programs to maximize the impact we can have in Central New York.  With your support, we will continue to be able to serve the most vulnerable in our community

all day,
all night,
during every season,
every day of the year. 

Catholic Charities of Onondaga County is always there.

Thank you and God Bless,

Michael F. Melara 
Executive Director