Cat Kerr

Seven days a week, the Catholic Charities’ Samaritan House warehouse buzzes with activity. Generous folks donate clothing, shoes and small household items; veterans, families and single women who call Samaritan House home access needed clothes and shoes; and people who are moving out of any Catholic Charities property into more permanent housing “shop” for small household goods they’ll need for their forever home.

Like all donation centers, some goods that are donated don’t quite work to share with participants. Sometimes the shoes are a little too worn, the sweater too tattered, the towel too used. But, at Catholic Charities, those items don’t get thrown away. They’re used in the organization’s new Textile Baling Program, a transformative initiative that redefines the approach to donations, recycling and community support.

The Essence of Textile Baling
At its core, the baling process is the art of compressing textiles into high-density piles, preparing them for efficient shipping and recycling. The list of items that can be baled is extensive and includes:
Clothing
Shoes
Belts and purses
Toys (both hard and soft)
Bedding and blankets
Towels

The Samaritan House warehouse ensures that every piece of material that’s donated is utilized. This philosophy of “never letting anything go to waste” underpins the entire program.

The Journey of Donations
Each week, generous folks donate hundreds of pounds of items to the Samaritan House warehouse on Lawrence Street in downtown Denver. Folks in Northern Colorado also generously donate at the Guadalupe Community Center warehouse in north Greeley. These donations, ranging from old sheets and blankets to shoes and toys, are brought to the warehouse for sorting and baling. Items that can be reused within local shelters are set aside, while the rest are prepped for baling and recycling.

Extending the Reach
The baled items find new life in several ways. Some are sent to stores in parts of the country that don’t have the generosity we find in Colorado, providing affordable options for those in need in places like rural West Virginia and Kentucky. Others are shipped to third-world countries, offering essential clothing and supplies to communities around the globe. This international reach has transformed the way Catholic Charities views its operations, prompting a shift towards negotiating and collaborating with various business partners to maximize impact and profitability.

Impact on Shelters and Beyond
The revenue generated from recycling these bales is funneled back into Samaritan House locations across the Front Range. This financial boost helps cover the cost of essential items, such as underwear, which shelters typically need to purchase. By reducing expenditure on these necessities, more funds can be allocated towards other critical areas of support.

Future Aspirations
Looking ahead, the program aims to enhance the efficiency of the baling process, making it quicker and more effective. This includes engaging more sources for clothing donations and exploring other types of bales, such as those for toys.
The competitive market for clothing bales also encourages the investigation of new business partners, with the goal of driving up profits. Each of these steps is a stride towards sustaining and expanding the invaluable services provided by Catholic Charities.

A Community United
The Catholic Charities Textile Baling Program is more than just a recycling initiative; it is a testament to the power of community and the importance of resourcefulness. Through the dedication of the Samaritan House warehouse staff and the generosity of donors across Colorado, Catholic Charities ensures that nothing is wasted and everything is given a second chance to make a difference.

On Father’s Day and all year long, we recognize the important role fathers take in supporting life as a divine gift both in the lives of their children and across the community. Dr. Kevin Tool, obstetrician and gynecologist and longtime Fort Collins resident, serves as Marisol Health Northern Colorado’s Medical Director, but his proudest role is father to he and his wife Audrey’s two children Ryan and Karalyn.
During the opening event at Marisol Health Northern Colorado in June 2024, Dr. Tool shared that he’s been shunned for being “too pro-life” by others in his profession. Many doctors don’t feel the call to life that Dr Tool advocates for regularly. It was a moment of divine inspiration that set him on the path to creating something truly transformative in his community. During the opening event, Dr. Tool explained that, during Mass at St. John XXIII one day, Father Rocco Porter shared his dream to have a clinic in Fort Collins to provide wrap-around services to protect life. That sparked a conversation that resulted in the opening of the new life-affirming clinic, just steps away from the CSU campus and the Fort Collins Planned Parenthood.

Father Rocco and Dr. Tool started by reaching out to the team at Catholic Charities, using the Marisol Health Denver clinic as a model. Soon, they hit the ground running, and hundreds of believers across the Northern Colorado community stepped up to the challenge over the past four years.

The clinic began seeing referral clients in April 2024 and is now open to the public. All women, no matter their age or health status, are encouraged to call 970-818-5745 to access care.

As the clinic’s medical director, Dr. Tool will assist the staff nurse midwife, work directly with patients who have higher risk medical conditions, review and sign off on all ultrasounds and share delivery responsibilities with Marisol Health nurse midwives.

Check out the video that was shared at the 2024 Catholic Charities SonRise event. It features Dr. Tool’s God moment where he said yes to life.
like 1 https://vimeo.com/user142924814

99% of families who call Samaritan House home each year find and retain permanent housing and do not return to the shelter system. This is thanks to comprehensive case management, which expanded last year when a medical clinic on the second floor opened for families.

For many of them, the Every Child Pediatrics Clinic @ Samaritan House is their first chance to receive medicine and specialized treatment for their children, many of whom suffer from challenging medical conditions. Zuleika is a single mother who took the radical step to seek asylum in the United States to seek care for her 11-year-old daughter who lives with cerebral palsy. Their home country of Venezuela has few resources for Nathaly who wants to live a healthy and happy life, despite her diagnosis. The trek from Central America is extremely difficult for everyone who makes the journey, especially those with disabilities. But as her child’s biggest advocate, Zuleika did whatever it took to give Nathaly the life she deserves.

The two first visited the clinic a few months ago. After weeks of a tumultuous trip, the compassionate shelter, complete with a state-of-the art pediatric clinic, which is believed to be the first clinic of its kind in the nation, was a welcome site.

For the last 11 years, Zuleika had been her daughter’s full-time caregiver, so she knew exactly what kind of care Nathaly needed and what to ask of the clinic’s care team. Nathaly also suffers with epilepsy as part of her condition and was consistently having daily seizures after arriving in the US. The medical providers from Every Child Pediatrics immediately prescribed her medication to help minimize the seizures and also set her up with appointments with specialty clinics at Children’s Hospital Colorado who specialize in caring for children with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Early on in their stay at Samaritan House, the clinic staff discovered that Nathaly was not gaining sufficient weight after losing so much during her travels to the United States. In partnership with the Every Child Pediatrics providers and staff, Samaritan House was able to put Nathaly on a nutritional supplementation plan and support mom to ensure Nathaly was gaining and growing appropriately.

In late May, Nathaly went swimming in a pool for the first time in her life. Thanks to the occupational and physical therapies and specialists the clinic connected her with, in addition to the school Samaritan House helped her enroll in, she was able to experience the joys of summer with her classmates with similar conditions as herself. With tears in her eyes, Zuleika shared that she’d felt like they’d be okay. As for Nathaly, she smiled and sang the whole car ride home.

Sarah Schaller is the clinic’s coordinator and the first face many families see when they come to Every Child Pediatric clinic.

“This clinic has surpassed our expectations as to how needed it was. It really has become a life-changing resource for our families,” said Sarah. “It’s just incredible to know that we are making an impact in their lives, one kiddo at a time.”

The clinic is open to families every Tuesday and Thursday. Since its launch last March, children from Samaritan House and Mullen Home, a family shelter that opened in December 2024 and is operated by Catholic Charities, have received comprehensive primary medical care, behavioral health services, vaccinations, early intervention care and supplemental care. Early on, the clinic team realized that they had the time and capacity to see other children experiencing homelessness, in addition to those at Samaritan House and Mullen Home. Their doors are now open to other children in the greater Denver community, allowing them to meet more needs and make a greater impact.

After opening the clinic, a whole slew of other concerns came to light that the pediatric providers were unable to address directly, such as dental caries, lack of glasses and access to vision services, etc. Samaritan House has since partnered with other organizations like Deserving Dental for on-site dental cleanings and exams and EyeLoveCare for mobile vision exams and glasses. These services have been made available for not only the children at Samaritan House, but also the adult residents.

Truth is, when you’re struggling to put food on the table and a roof over your family’s heads, scheduling vaccinations, visiting the doctor for well-baby exams and tackling larger medical challenges are simply not possible for many parents. Costs are high and the fear of the unknown prevents many of our children on the margins from receiving medical care. However, Every Child Pediatrics is committed to caring for children and their families no matter their insurance status or ability to pay. Catholic Charities and Every Child Pediatrics make sure that the children who call Samaritan House home have the care they deserve during their time at Samaritan House and beyond as the can continue receiving medical care from one of the many other Every Child Pediatrics’ Denver metro locations.

It’s always a good day at the Sunny Horse Foundation, a Broomfield non-profit specializing in equine classes tailored for veterans who have served our nation. On a gorgeous spring day in May, Paul, a proud marine veteran who lives at Catholic Charities Samaritan House, returned to the horseback riding center, a place that has been at the heart of his recent success. The first time he visited Sunny Horse, he physically felt a weight lift and his spirits soar. He not only connected with Little Bit, one of the horses at the foundation, but he also bonded with the barn cat, Tweedie and the surrounding birds who sang as he sat with the animals.

The foundation, started by Pam and Bob Thode eight years ago, launched the Veteran’s Equine Program in 2016 to focus on equine assisted learning activities for veterans and active military members. Over the past four years, they’ve collaborated with their parish – Spirit of Christ in Arvada – and Catholic Charities Samaritan House in downtown Denver to provide veterans the chance to engage in mindfulness exercises. Pam and other volunteers lead the sessions, incorporating techniques such as daily reflections and mindfulness practices, guiding veterans to find solace as they connect with the horses. Veterans are encouraged to place their hands on the animal’s hearts and carefully brush their manes.

The interactions between veterans and the equine companions offer therapeutic benefits, addressing both physical and mental challenges that so many people who have served our country face. The sessions also give individuals a few hours a week to focus on themselves outside of the shelter and share their experiences in and out of combat. Joseph, a navy veteran, shared that having a reprieve from the city to head to the barn is the break he looks forward to every Wednesday.

“Working with the horses was both very relaxing and soothing. I grew up in Brooklyn near a farm, and I always wished I could spend more time with animals. I feel like these animals really see me,” said Joseph.

The main theme of this day’s visit was the value of commitment. Pam chose the theme to remind riders to keep their commitment to the horses each week and to take care of themselves. Veterans are invited to the center every Wednesday during the spring and summer and are encouraged to reflect on themes after they leave to aid them in their daily lives.

Thanks to programs like Sunny Horse and Samaritan House, the City of Denver has seen a 30% decrease in veterans experiencing homelessness in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Equine therapy, which is just one of dozens of programs accessible to veterans living at Samaritan House, is a chance to connect and heal and stay on the path towards independence.

“I am thankful for the peace this place brought me today. I was nervous to come, but I am glad I did,” said Paul.

Since Sunny Horse partnered with Samaritan House in 2018, the program has flourished, serving dozens of returning and first-time veterans to the facility each week. The continued bonds shared between the animals and residents are remembered, long after the veterans leave Samaritan House and find their way to more permanent housing.