Dear Friends and Family of Catholic Charities

As we embrace each other in this summer of reemergence, the emotions are raw and overwhelming. The immense joy, relief, and happiness we now feel from a simple embrace gives us pause to reflect.

While we are thankful for technology and the ability to see loved ones on a screen, standing six feet apart—and for so many, a state, country, or ocean away—created a barrier to the physical presence and connection that we now realize is so important and vital to our emotional wellbeing.

We all lived in fear and suffered out of love, especially when it came to protecting our senior and elderly family members who were and still are most vulnerable to the virus. Meanwhile, they were hurting and longing to reunite with us. That is what makes that first step off the plane, or that first knock on the door—followed by that first embrace—so powerful.

For seniors, the pandemic brought deep despair and isolation…