Social Justice

Sacred Heart Parish acts as a partner church when Pullman Presbyterian Church hosts homeless families through Family Promise of the Palouse. Several times a year families stay at the Presbyterian Church for a week. Sacred Heart parishioners help prepare the evening meal and stay for the evening or the night. Sacred Heart also collects items for Family Promise and participates in fundraisers. If you would like to volunteer please email Tim Paulitz or call him at 509-332-6184. 

Family Promise of the Palouse (FPP), believes that every family deserves a safe place to call home. With support from the community, 29 interfaith congregations and hundreds of volunteers, they are able to provide shelter, food and support to help families in our community that need it the most. They are committed to families having a place to call home. Their website, www.familypromisepalouse.org, shows what they are doing to make a difference in the lives of homeless children and their families.

Mindful of Jesus’ call to feed the hungry, help the poor, and welcome strangers, the Social Justice Ministry of Sacred Heart, in conjunction with the Spokane-based Refugee Connection, is offering assistance to refugees.

As refugees learn English, find jobs, and adjust to a new culture, the Social Justice Ministry wants to offer them friendship, financial assistance, and moral support. We invite any interested members of the parish to join us in this endeavor.

Donations to the “Refugee Relief Fund” can be made to Sacred Heart Parish, with “Refugee Fund” noted in the memo line. Please direct questions or comments to either: Francy Bose  509-332-5114, Tim Paulitz 509-332-6184.

For more than 70 years, the Catholic Diocese of Spokane and its parishes have supported the Diocese of Solola in Guatemala. Donations from Sacred Heart Parish, Pullman support Nawal Estereo, a radio station broadcast to the residents in the Highlands of Solola, which provides religious and educational support. Nawal Estereo serves an essential role for the impoverished people of northern Guatemala. The station is staffed by local men and women, and operates with a board of directors. It is self-supporting through payments for broadcasting, advertising, and donations from organizations such as ours. Please note "Guatemala radio school" on the memo line of any contribution you make for this worthy cause, and put it in the weekend collection or mail it to the parish office.

For additional information about the Guatemala Mission, please visit: https://dioceseofspokane.org/guatemala

Click here for December 2020 report from the radio station

Click here for March 2023 report from the radio station

For more than forty years, Meals on Wheels has provided a nutrititional and social lifeline for elderly and disabled homebound seniors in the Pullman area. With the help of 14 Pullman churches and three businesses, the organization has served thousands of meals to those in need. Your financial donation goes directly to providing a hot, nutritious meal to our area seniors.

To volunteer, please email the Sacred Heart Parish Meals on Wheels coordinator, Lorie Druffel, or call 509-330-0324. For additional information, please visit the website for the Pullman Community Council on Aging: http://www.pullmanccoa.org.

Since 1988, The Community Action Center has been a vital resource for thousands of needy families in Whitman County. This past year, Sacred Heart Parish, Pullman donated approximately 1600 pounds of food to people living in poverty in our area. These food donations provided nutritional meals for more than 230 families each month. For more information or to volunteer: https://www.cacwhitman.org.

Catholic social teaching reminds us we are interconnected and that even our social, political, and economic institutions have a deep effect on people's lives. Our Social Justice Ministry works with the rest of the parish to help us see and listen to our brother or sister in need. We do this through education (studying how loving our neighbor plays out in our social institutions), through advocacy (working for the poor and vulnerable in the political arena), and through direct action (organizing food drives, clothing collections, and supporting refugees and the Rice Bowl).

We meet on various days, once a month. If you would like to join the Social Justice Ministry, watch the bulletin for meeting times or call Tim Paulitz at 509-332-6184 or Francy Bose at 509-332-5114.

Social Justice Ministry Minutes August 21, 2025

1. The list of food needs is being sent by Elora from the Community Action Center Food Bank.   These needs will be in the bulletin
2. Fr. Suggests we plan now for an Advent needs drive

• Diapers (size 4&5)
• Pull-Ups (3T/4T/5T)
• baby Wipes
• Paper Towels
• Toilet Paper
• Dish Soap
• Dish Sponges
• Cleaning Products
• Hairbrushes
• Infant Tylenol
• Baby Orajel
• Shampoo and Conditioner
• Body Wash

1. First weeks of WSU Classes:  Food needs are high
2. Concern that students new to Pullman need location of current Food Banks – A new business card-sized list with a QR code will be composed
3. At S.H.’s Parish Food Pantry -- the focus is on food
4. BUT concern about items not available through SNAP such as cleaning supplies; personal care needs and toilet paper.

1. Discussion focused on food/needs drive the week after Labor Day
2. Flyers will be distributed the week prior to the start of the drive

• 2. If you are available to distribute the fliers, PLEASE contact Francy to tell her of your availability
  3. It was suggested that a “New” color be used for the flyer so that people see it as NEW.
  4. See attached flyer of current needs
  5. Drive will start September 14^th with flyers distributed September 7^th weekend

1. Tim stated Neighbors in Dialogue will focus on LGBTQ community
2. A presentation in late October or early November with and at CCUCC
3. Will check the parish calendar for a possible date in late October or early November 4.
4. Invitation and flyer to be developed

• Plans for a “big” event with many churches and groups.
• Tim will meet with Palouse EDJE who could be the organizing group
• Could include a meal and presentation with possible discussion
• Get as many groups and churches as possible, including Palouse EDJE, Intersectional Advocacy Coalition, Terry Buffington Foundation, Interfaith Connections, etc. 
•  Fr. Steve suggested it could be at a church to reduce costs and we must be sensitive to other non-Christian communities.

• No information on the Status of Ukraine (or other) refugees.
• Funds still available in two accounts:  $319 and $1204 (accounts will be blended) (Sue will call Linea)

1. No Update on Sacred Heart improvements
2. Fr. Steve said there is a Mass being developed “For the Care of Creation” by the Vatican.
3. No TEXT for the proposed Mass on Creation available at this time.
4. Look for more information as it becomes available

• Continuing program plans for 2025
• Proposed ideas for September meeting
• Ideas welcome, please contact Bunnie at:  [email protected]

• Sacred Heart is hosting this weekend at Pullman Presbyterian Church, Aug. 22 and 23.  Presently have 2 families.  Thanks to Francy Bose and Katie Evermann for providing meals and Larry Bruya for evening host

• Since 5-21:
  2.  via CMN: there were 6 executions (2 in FL!) in June, 2 in FL! in July, 2 in August
  3. One piece of good news in AL!  David Roberts was granted a Stay of Execution
  4. USCCB asked for letters to Congress to Respect Creation in deliberations on the Budget and the Budget Reconciliation Bills
  5. WSCCB alerts for asking Gov. to restore funds to the State Diaper Bank and to call the Trump Administration to restore funding to the Head Start program

• Bill reported that Sacred Heart needs only 165 pounds of plastic to reach our yearly goal
• Need to find another group to donate our extra plastic to
• Bill will ask Jefferson School through Kat Harris and/or Meg Gollnick
• Suggestions for alternate collections are welcome

• Meals were provided to: a parishioner & family while recovering from surgery
• And a Family of a dying parishioner
• 
  Pullman Homeless Alliance: 
  
• Community Action has contracted with a company from Texas to write the 5-year plan.
• Group will meet on Sept 11 at 2 PM at UCC church with contractor to discuss plans. Group will continue to meet to look at other options, independent of the 5-year plan.

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