Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, stands outside a mobile united donated to her office by Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
Catholic Charities receives mobile unit from New York
BY WKC STAFF
On Jan. 27, Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens (CCBQ), presented the keys to a mobile unit van to Al Thompson, a volunteer with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro. Thompson later drove the van from New York back to Owensboro.
The van, which is a modified recreational vehicle meant for CCBQ to distribute food and items, was cumbersome for CCBQ to navigate through the narrow streets of New York City and spent most of its time parked. When CCBQ learned about the Dec. 10, 2021 tornadoes that had ravaged western Kentucky, they decided that they wanted to donate the van to those who were organizing assistance for survivors.
The donation was facilitated by Sr. Donna Markham, CEO of Catholic Charities USA.
Susan Montalvo-Gesser, director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro, looks forward to using it as her team helps those living out in the far-reaching rural areas of western Kentucky.
Right now the van still says “Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens” but Montalvo-Gesser hopes to soon have it updated with the logo of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Owensboro.
-This was based in part on a report from The Tablet, the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn
