While not a requirement, owning a pair of running shoes comes in handy when you’re a member the Catholic Ladies Relief Society in Marysville.

The Catholic women’s organization puts its impressive 110 members at St. Joseph Parish to work on a number of projects to care for the poor and support community service projects in Yuba and Sutter counties.

From left, Maria Hull, Hilda Ward, Shirley Hannahs and Olga Jones work on the Catholic Ladies Relief Society blanket project, which supports Marysville area child welfare agencies.

“It’s a very alive, interesting group of women,” according to Jan Hawkins, president of the Catholic Ladies Relief Society No. 2. “Because our projects appeal to different groups, the age range is from 18 into the 80s.”

Hawkins said several of the programs were started to meet the needs of “an extremely large” homeless population in the Marysville area, which puts between 50 and 75 people on the streets every night.

One project to meet that need was to open a sandwich shop at St. Joseph, staffed by CLRS volunteers. The program, which started on a small scale two years ago, now provides more than 750 free sandwich lunches to the homeless each month.

Bronwyn Charles, 28, a teacher at Notre Dame School in Marysville, has incorporated volunteering at the sandwich shop with a project that motivates her students to reach out to people in need. The students use recess time to make bologna and peanut butter sandwiches for the lunch program.

“The kids love to do it, and it’s a good lesson in faith,” said Charles, who joined the Society 10 years ago. “I like the people and the fact that I’m making a difference in what I do.”

To ensure children at risk have a warm blanket to take to sleep at night, the Catholic women’s group started their blanket project. The program involves volunteers knitting, crocheting, and quilting child-sized blankets to be given to local child welfare agencies.

Hawkins said members volunteering on the blanket project meet at night, a time that appeals to many working women.

Prior to her retirement, one member, Maxine Singer, worked in the juvenile division in the Stanislaus County sheriff’s department. She saw firsthand the need of children taken from their homes and put into protective custody to have something personal to hold.

“Those children are really close to my heart,” Singer said. “They are bewildered about what’s happening when an officer goes into their home, and they can’t take any of their property with them.”

Hawkins explained that the blankets are not just made for children, but teens need them too.

“One teen had things stuffed in a garbage bag,” she said. “We can’t let that happen.”

Linked with the blanket project is the children’s backpack project, which involves Catholic Ladies Relief Society volunteers putting together special backpacks filled with comfort items for children removed from homes by Child Protective Services or the police. The backpacks are distributed to local child welfare agencies.

“These kids often come from homes where shampoo and soap is not available,” Hawkins said. “Children have something of their own to hold onto and use during the first hours on days of transition.”

The CLRS food locker is located in the basement of St. Joseph Church. Volunteers distribute food from the youth hall for families in need. This project distributes canned and packaged food to an average of 250 people each month. Families requesting aid receive food packages to meet their immediate need for short-term assistance.

“A core of about 15 ladies show up every day,” said Hawkins, who added that the food locker, like all projects, receives tremendous support from St. Joseph and the entire community.

The Catholic Daughters’ organization at St. Joseph collects books for backpacks, the Knights of Columbus donate toys, and local restaurants show up with cases of food for the food locker.

“We pray and lo and behold, there they are with what we need,” Hawkins said. “I’m utterly amazed at this community.”

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