At the center of the photo is Maizie McGinley, an eighth-grader at St. Anne School in Garden City. The woman in the cap is her mother, Liz McGinley, and on her left is Nicole Catsounis, a Housing case manager at Project Independence, a Catholic Charities of Long Island program that helps the homeless move toward self-sufficiency.

Maizie took up a food collection for clients in CCLI programs, Project Independence, Project Veterans’ Independence and Special Needs Housing. The volunteer effort was Maizie’s Confirmation service project, and she and her mom recently delivered the food and other goods to the program pantry.

Nicole and Gena McSorley, CCLI’s Mental Health Clinic quality assurance coordinator, told Maizie and her mom about those served by the programs and how her donations would be put to good use.

During Catholic Schools Week, CCLI director of development and communications, Danielle Campbell, visited a total of six elementary schools in the Diocese of Rockville Centre to tell students and faculty about the services CCLI provides to needy and vulnerable clients on Long Island. In Lent, the visits have continued at other schools. Students have shown great interest and inquisitiveness about our work, and have responded by sharing art projects and, in a couple of cases, notable fundraising efforts.

Maizie’s school, St. Anne in Garden City, was one of our first hosts. We are so appreciative of building connections with students like Maizie and so many others across Long Island. We want them to understand how Jesus’ call in Matthew 25: 35-40 is lived out today across Long Island through Catholic Charities.