Amarillo—Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle has introduced a new program designed for moms who are pregnant or families with kids who are up to three-years-old.
Joseph’s Project is a program that has been in the works for several years and the program kicked off May 19 with an Open House/Baby Shower at Catholic Charities offices.
“This age span of children is really critical,” said Jeff Gulde, executive director at Catholic Charities. “As a young parent, you buy diapers and formula. You may have no clue what the cost is. The costs of the early years are nothing compared to later costs later in life.
“We’re focusing on the cost for the first three years of a child’s life. One of the strengths of the program is that there is no income component to it. You do not have to be low income. If you are someone who has a need for pregnancy tests, counseling or mentoring, this program is for you.”
The program is tailored for expectant mothers and for those with new families, Gulde added.
“Our focus is on moms and maybe those who have one or two kids and are expecting a third, or maybe a new family,” he said. “The new family can be defined by what a family looks like today. It could be a single mom, a single dad, a parent or parents who adopts a child, a parent or grandparent or foster parent who adopts a child. The child needs the service, but it is wrapped around the adult who is providing the support for the child.”
Joseph’s Project offers six services for expectant mothers, fathers and new families.
“We will offer free pregnancy tests for moms who may not be aware they are expecting,” Gulde said. “Joseph’s Project also provides education classes for parents which include counselling, coaching and mentoring. We also offer adoption information and referrals. We no longer offer adoptions, which have been gone from our repertoire for quite some time; but we do refer people to other organizations that provide that service.
“We also offer material assistance. We have diapers, baby wipes, formula and so forth. Parents can earn Baby Bucks when they attend classes, go to counseling and/or learn how to be better parents. They trade the Baby Bucks in as vouchers for bigger items. We do provide referrals and applications for a wide variety of supporting programs like WIC, SNAP, and CHIP Perinatal. These are state and/or federal programs that are designed to help people on low incomes to provide extra support for families who need material assistance and Medicaid. We do have professional staff who are skilled in navigating those application processes, which in many cases are quite complicated. The last service is pre-natal classes for moms, dads and adoptive parents.”
Gulde added that one of the real drivers for Joseph’s Project is the mortality rate for moms and children in Potter County, in particular the northeast side of Amarillo.
“The issues are city-wide and panhandle-wide,” he said. “That focus intrigued us to establish prenatal care for moms, so they can give birth to healthy babies and mom and child survive the childbirth process. We are pro-life; pro-life begins before birth. With your help to Catholic Charities, mother and child will survive that very fragile beginning.”
For additional details about Joseph’s Project or to assist with a donation of material assistance, such as diapers, wipes, unopened formula or clothing, please contact Catholic Charities of the Texas Panhandle at 806-376-4571.