Catholic Charities in Laredo

Catholic Charities in Laredo was in desperate need of clothing for immigrant families. Bishop Greg Kelly asked Dallas St. Vincent de Paul if they could help. The Dallas St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store agreed to supply clothes and asked if the Knights in Dallas could deliver the clothes. The call went out to the Dallas Knights of Columbus and Adam Frisch from Council 15033 in Irving volunteered. Adam towed a large trailer with over 2400 pounds of clothes and urgently needed medical supplies donated by Dallas St. Vincent de Paul to Catholic Charities in Laredo. Bishop Kelly was thrilled we were able to accomplish this within a week of his request.

This story has been picked up by the Dallas media. NBC5, Telemundo, and WBAP will be broadcasting interviews with Luis Gonzales, CEO of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas, about our collaboration on October 5th.

Thanks to Adam Frisch, the Knights of Columbus, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we were able to work together to quickly respond to our neighbors in need in south Texas.

Here is some additional background information I provided the Texas Catholic:

Luis Gonzales reached out to me and requested the Knights provide transportation for the donation to Laredo. He contacted me because as I serve on the Board of SVdP of North Texas and am also the Texas Knights of Columbus Emergency Response Chairman. We reached out to Dallas area Knights and requested volunteers. Adam Frisch volunteered to deliver the items. He used his truck, trailer, and his gas was paid by his employer. Adam is a member of Knights of Columbus Council 15033 in Irving. Adam was assisted by Jack Van Der Putten (17-year-old son of a member of the Knights). They drove down and back from Laredo in 22 hours.

The first principal of the Knights of Columbus is charity. We are always looking for ways to assist those in need. The Knights in Texas and Mexico have regularly assisted the immigrants in need. In 2019, the Knights of Columbus provided truckloads of supplies to the border towns (on both sides of the border) and portable showers to help the immigrants (see Mexico and Texas Knights Aid Migrants | Knights of Columbus (kofc.org)). We work closely with Catholic Charities, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and other charitable organizations to assist the less fortunate. For example, during Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Knights of Columbus served 60,000 meals.