Organizations help most vulnerable families so they can have a happy holiday season

MURRAY – This holiday season, different Catholic organizations are making efforts to provide for the most needy ones.

Holy Cross Ministries is one of the organizations that helps families all year round but especially during the holidays.

"In this season we work together with Dr. César Diaz, so families in need can receive presents," said Maribel Real, director of outreach of the Holy Cross Ministries in Utah.

Diaz, a former Hispanic Rotary Club president, is the owner of Clinica Medica Hispana. He also handles the Christmas Project organization, which every year collects food, clothes and shoes for Hispanic families in need.

The partnership with Diaz has been going on for the past four years and hundreds of families have benefited from it. Holy Cross ministries provides the names of those in need, as well as specific needs for some of the families, and Diaz fills those requests, Real said.

On Dec. 17, these families will receive Christmas presents as well as food and clothes.

"Many of these families are Holy Cross clients. We know their financial status and we know that they need some help," Real said, adding that they ask the families if they need support and then invite them to participate in the program.

"My husband has been out of work for more than a year now," said Virginia Ruiz, whose family is participating in the Christmas Project. "Without this help we wouldn’t be able to afford any gifts for our kids."

This year Holy Cross Ministries has worked very hard creating opportunities for the different needs of the families, educating, assisting and empowering them.

"We have two women that work in a county clinic; they will throw a Christmas party for the Spanish-speaking parents that have kids with special needs," said Real.

Each month these outreach women gather with the parents and give them different resources.

"In this Christmas season we will have a party for them at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Parish," said Real. "We will give gifts to the children; there will be music, food – it’s a party so they can celebrate this season."

Holy Cross Ministries accepts any kind of donation, from financial contributions to children’s presents or clothing.

"We always have ways and means to make sure these donations will arrive to the more vulnerable families," said Real. "Just the fact of sharing is very important but in this season it’s much more. In this season kids see it with more magic. Sometimes parents suffer when they cannot give that magic to their kids and I think by helping others we help ourselves."