Papal visit inspires charity in Mid-Missouri

Pope Francis spent the first part of his U.S. tour in Washington D.C. He addressed congress Wednesday morning and visited the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese in Washington to eat with the homeless.

“It only takes a missed paycheck or some medical emergency — people who didn’t have health insurance or something and you’re right there, you cannot catch up again,” said Michael Van Gundy, executive director for Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri.

Van Gundy said his office gets calls every day from Missourians struggling to stay above the poverty line. Missourians to End Poverty report an upward trend in poverty from 2008 to 2012 — rising almost three percent during the five year period.

“I think people are becoming more attuned to that, but it’s amazing that people are not aware of the level of poverty in the state of Missouri,” said Van Gundy.

Recent numbers show the poverty rate in Boone County is 18 percent and Cole County is at 13.6 percent. Callaway County is slightly higher than Cole County at 15.1 percent.

Van Gundy said the Pope’s visit to the U.S. and addressing the issue of poverty has energized many American Catholics — inspiring them to give.

“He walks the walk. He’s a simple man. You can tell by the way he lives, the way he dresses, what he eats, what he says, what he does. He does that because that’s him. That’s what wins over peoples’ hearts,” said Van Gundy.

Van Gundy said he expects a spike in donations during Pope Francis’ visit.