By: Micah Underwood, Grant Manager at CCWVa
This post is part of a series that explores how the work of Catholic Charities West Virginia (CCWVa) aligns with the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. For a brief summary of the principles, click here: www.ccwva.org/2026/02/12/the-foundation-of-our-mission-catholic-social-teaching-in-action.
There’s something about walking into a room where people know you. They remember your name and ask about your kids/parents/pets/projects. And you know them, too, because you’ve spent some time together.
This is the spirit of community, accompaniment, and human connection that Catholic Charities West Virginia is cultivating all over our state. It all comes back to a recognition of the individuality of each of our neighbors or, as you might see it phrased in Catholic Social Teaching: Life & Dignity of the Human Person.
Our neighbors come to us for many reasons—food, emergency assistance, employment support, childcare resources, and more. No matter what brings someone to our door, we see them first as a person. Not as a set of needs or a match to a resource or a statistic. A person.
For Catholics, this idea emerges from the creation story in the book of Genesis, when humans were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). In our work, we understand that if we are to offer meaningful assistance, we must first get to know the person in need.
So we listen. Our neighbors tell us about themselves and their lives, and we hear that what brought them to the office was an overdue water bill that they can’t afford to pay in full. We also hear that they could use a little help putting food on the table or that they’re having trouble getting back to work after a time of unemployment. Through conversation, compassion, and humans showing up for each other, we learn about the deeper needs and how we might be able to help.
For some of our neighbors, this help is simple and straightforward. A utility payment, a box of food, a referral to a partner agency. For others, the path is longer and more complex. The same kindness that guided that first interaction continues as the relationship grows over time.
At each step along the way, we continue to listen. How are you? What has changed? What’s the same? How can we walk alongside you better? We stand together through chronic challenges and out-of-the-blue disasters. We navigate job loss, growing families, high utility bills, evictions, and even hurricanes. Through it all, we let our actions embody the values we hold.
First and foremost, we honor the gift of every human life, respect each person for who they are, and accept the responsibility to enhance the lives of the people we serve.
If you’d like to learn more about how Catholic Charities West Virginia is living this value through our work, we invite you to visit our website at www.ccwva.org or join us as a volunteer at www.ccwva.org/get-involved/volunteer.
A note about the word “neighbors”: Throughout this post, we talk about our neighbors. The word is a deliberate choice to remind ourselves and our readers (you) that we are all neighbors. Sometimes we need help, and sometimes we are the helpers. Always, we are in this work together.
