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Catholic Family Service has been serving the Amarillo
community since 1932. The earliest records available show that a Diocesan
Catholic Charities existed in 1932. That office was created by Bishop
Rudolph A. Gerken, the first Bishop of the Catholic Diocese in Amarillo.
But it was not until 1935, in the midst of the “Dust
Bowl” and depression years that Bishop Robert E. Lucey, second Bishop of
Amarillo, organized the Catholic Welfare Bureau and tied in with the
Amarillo Community Chest. Those were hectic years for Amarillo, which at
that time had a population of around 50,000 people. At the time, federal
relief was dumped back into the laps of the local communities, and Amarillo
was not prepared for it. Bishop Lucey engaged himself whole-heartedly in
the struggle. He located a trained social worker in California and asked
her to come to the city. Miss Rosa Fortuny started working on March 1, 1935
from a building located at 1321 E. 10th Street.
Ms. Fortuny joined forces with other agencies then
operating in the city and started creating programs. She must have been a
real go-getter! Within three months, there were daily sewing classes for
women being conducted, quilts were made from discarded, donated clothing,
classes for girls were held weekly. Cooking classes were organized at
Guadalupe school cafeteria, feeding approximately 114 children a day. In
addition to the sewing and cooking classes, Ms. Fortuny organized athletic
activities and Boy and Girl Scout troops. Weekly clinics for children and
mothers were organized through the generosity of Amarillo physicians and the
local hospitals.
These early depression-era beginnings formed the
foundation of the present multi-service agency which Catholic Family
Service, Inc. has become, serving the community and offering services to
people of all faiths, races and ages. We serve the neediest in the
community, young and old.
Please stop by and visit us at 200 S. Tyler Street!
Our services include an emergency Youth Shelter, a Youth Activity Center,
Adoption and Foster Care services, Housing Counseling, Low Cost Rental
Units, the Refugee Resettlement Program, the Inter-Faith Hunger Project, and
Adult Eye Care. We look forward to meeting you! |
