Mercy Caritas grants to benefit three local charitable endeavors

Jul. 24--Mercy Caritas grants amounting to half a million dollars were announced on Tuesday, helping 29 organizations that serve people in need, including three agencies in Joplin.

The $500,000 in grants will affect organizations across seven states that serve children, elderly, homeless and uninsured people, including Joplin's Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri, St. Peter the Apostle Outreach House and Watered Gardens Ministry. The annual grants are expected to benefit more than 48,000 people across the country.

"Our mission is to provide compassionate care and an excellent service to our community," said Aaron Lewis, Mercy Hospital Joplin's community health and access director. "Our purpose is to provide charity, through Caritas, to nonprofit community partners that meet a significant health need. It's a chance for Mercy to give back to the community and help those organizations achieve their goals as well."

Watered Gardens received a $22,000 grant for its Forge Center for Virtue and Work, a yearlong intensive program aimed at assisting those who are struggling with homelessness, incarceration or addiction. Established nearly four years ago, the program helps the underserved with physical wellness, spiritual development and education while also preparing them for the workforce.

"When my wife and I co-founded our ministry 20 years ago, we realized there's a lot more needed than just providing food, clothing and shelter," said James Whitford, co-founder and executive director of Watered Gardens. "Over the years, we have progressed our programming to be more intensive and to make sure we're empowering people to rise out of poverty."

Whitford said the grant will help tremendously with different types of training offered through the program, such as computer literacy training and government classes.

"We're really thankful for the Mercy Caritas grant that Watered Gardens received that will be applied to our Forge long-term program," Whitford said. "We applied for the grant because we have a great partnership with Mercy, but also, the intensive nature of this long-term program requires a lot to run it."

St. Peter the Apostle Outreach House, located at 807 S. Moffett Ave. in Joplin, received a grant of $7,000 to continue serving meals to those in need from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as three Sundays a month. The program is owned by the St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church but operates as a separate entity.

Terri Giarratano, director of outreach ministry for the church, said that because the building is located in a poor neighborhood, it serves anywhere from 125 to 140 people within two hours each day. Anyone is welcome to receive meals.

"I think we provide a tremendous service for the neighborhood," Giarratano said. "It's a huge blessing, and it makes a big difference. We served close to 25,000 people last year."

This will be the second Mercy Caritas grant the Outreach House has received. The ministry was able to purchase new kitchen equipment with its grant last year and hopes to use this year's funding for building and maintenance work.

"It's a huge help because we're funded solely by private donations, our particular ministry," Giarratano said.

The Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri, a local nonprofit that offers medical and dental services to those without insurance, was awarded $12,000 for its Chronic Lung Disease Management and Prevention Program, which provides chest X-rays, pulmonary diagnostics, pneumonia vaccinations, tobacco cessation education and medication.

Background

Of the 29 grants awarded this year, 19 are called Mercy Caritas, which is Latin for "charity." The Mercy Caritas grants support community-based programs that align with the hospital's mission, and the program has provided agencies with more than $14 million since 1988. The 10 remaining grants were awarded to Sisters of Mercy working in direct service to people in poverty.

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