Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska

🎓 "It’s a common question we often find ourselves asking kids, especially recent high school graduates. As guests at a graduation party, we gravitate toward that youngster still wearing the cap and gown and ask, ‘So, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ Never do we hear a response predicting a life of poverty, abuse, or depression, but like in the case of Wendy, life sometimes has a way of not going as we plan." 🚧 This #MessagesofHope throwback from November 2022 shares how our team, with the help of community connections, is working to help our clients move from surviving to flourishing- and helping them realize that who they are is exactly who God created them to be! Enjoy it again (or for the first time): https://ow.ly/wOOA50RKHOk

🍽️Happy #FoodMarketFriday! Here’s Mary Vossler, our partner at UNL Extension, who delivered plants and supplies for our CSS Lincoln Community Garden last week. Her happy smile brightened Food Market assistant Susan’s day! 🙂 Soon, these little plants will produce a bounty of healthy freshness to brighten the plates of our CSS Lincoln Food Market shoppers. 🌱 We're so grateful for the community partners who are helping us #grow #HopeInTheGoodLife for our neighbors.💚🧡💙 (Clockwise from top left: Mary(l) with CSS Food Market Assistant Susan Kelly(r), Mary with donated gardening supplies, and just a few of the wonderful plants Mary delivered to CSS!)

Yesterday (May 15th) was the feast day of St. Isidore the Farmer, patron saint of Catholic Social Services Imperial/St. Isidore Gift & Thrift! To celebrate, staff and volunteers from Catholic Social Services Auburn/St. Francis Gift and Thrift, Catholic Social Services Hastings/St Joseph Gift & Thrift, and Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska/St Louise Gift & Thrift Store/Catholic Social Services Online Store gathered during the lunch hour for a CSS "Buddy Walk" at their respective locations.🧡🚶♂️💙🚶♀️💚🚶 Before departing for our short excursion in Lincoln, the team prayed a beautiful Litany in honor of St. Isidore the Farmer, patron of farmers & workers, ending with this prayer: “Grant, O Lord, that through the intercession of Saint Isidore, the farmer, we may follow his example of patience and humility and walk faithfully in his footsteps so that, in the evening of life, we may be able to present to You an abundant harvest of good fruits, You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.” St. Isidore the Farmer, pray for us! 🙏

Happy #TeamWorkTuesday! 🚲 It's #BiketoWorkWeek and we're geared up with fun festivities to celebrate! Catholic Social Services is excited to be a 2024 sponsor of the City of Lincoln Bike to Work Week events May 13th-17th. Biking is a great fit for us because it prioritizes movement for health, encourages sustainable transportation like biking and walking, and supports community-wide sustainability (CSS Core Value!) efforts. Today, we had a fantastic learning opportunity with Hunter Arias from BikeLNK during our #LunchandLearn session. We gathered in our breakroom to discover the wealth of resources available to us in Lincoln, from bike/e-bike rentals to our extensive trail network. Our beautifully renovated CSS Lincoln campus is conveniently located next to the BIlly Wolff Trail, making it a perfect choice for commuting this week. Hunter shared his insights, distributed trail maps, and even revealed his favorite trail. 🤗 Thank you, Hunter. We're just getting rolling on Bike To Work Week fun. Stay tuned for more updates as our team #sustains #Hopeinthegoodlife in innovative (and fun!) new ways with our community partners.

📅REMINDER! You're invited to a presentation and discussion on Nebraska's pro-abortion ballot measure: "Dangerous, Deceptive, Demeaning: Defeating the Pro-Abortion Ballot Initiative." Hosted by the Nebraska Catholic Conference and Catholic Social Services on Thursday, May 16th, this event aims to provide essential insights into the proposed initiative and mobilize community opposition to protect life in Nebraska. There are two presentation times (11:00 am & 6:00 pm) and this event is free of charge and open to everyone, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Spread the word by sharing this event with your friends, family, and community members. Visit this link for more event information. If you're unable to attend this presentation, explore the NCC event calendar for upcoming presentations near you: https://ow.ly/hOlQ50REUYZ

🥳Today we're celebrating a pair of Marian Sister #HopeintheGoodLife anniversaries! Sr. Karen Eden, M.S. and Sr. Bernadette Radek, M.S. have served 1️⃣4️⃣ years as St. Gianna Program Advocates. Thank you, Sisters, for inspiring hope and love in every encounter. 🥰💙🧡💚

🚚Help drive #HopeintheGoodLife! 💚🧡💙 CSS in Lincoln is hiring full-time and/or part-time truck drivers who will also support CSS Lincoln Warehouse operations. In this role, you'll oversee the day-to-day operations of donor pickups and client deliveries and support the Lincoln warehouse. You'll also provide support to program staff and agency recycling efforts. ♻️ See the full job description and apply today: csshope.org/careers

"Some of my favorite experiences at CSS are the encounters I’m blessed to have with our clients." 🥰 Our latest issue of The Patron shares #HopeintheGoodLife moments from across southern Nebraska- read how we're working together to inspire hope and love in every encounter! 💚🧡💙 https://ow.ly/2SxK50RC2Ug

"It is very uplifting to see the whole community rally around the local non-profits.” 🥳 In this week's #MessagesofHope in the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln's Southern Nebraska Register, CSS Hastings Regional Director John McDonald (pictured "ringing the gong" as a new $25,000 milestone is reached) and other CSS team members reflect on a very successful Give Hastings Day celebration: https://ow.ly/3YVr50RBHQv

🍃“Spring”ing to life! 🍽️ Thanks to our green-thumbed staff and volunteers, the CSS Lincoln Community Garden has woken up from its winter slumber. Earlier this week, Food Market Assistant Susan Kelly harvested the season's first crop of spinach and lettuce to #nourish our food market shoppers! It's so exciting (and rewarding) to #grow #HopeintheGoodLife. 💚🧡💙 #FoodMarketFriday