by Lauren Solidum
On June 1, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas (CCNEK) officially acquired the assets of Let’s Help, Inc. (LHI). This strategic organizational transition effectively returns a vital community resource back to its Catholic roots while ensuring the long-term sustainability of critical community programming.
The rich history of Let’s Help, Inc. is deeply tied to Topeka’s Catholic community fabric. Founded decades ago in the basement of St. Joseph Church, the organization initially began as a faithful response to our local neighbors in need, offering direct food assistance and genuine compassion to those facing severe unexpected hardships.
CCNEK is especially grateful for the late Patricia L. “Patty” Coughlin and Margie Roberts who spearheaded LHI’s beginning, serving as the first leaders in the role of executive director. Over the subsequent years, this humble initiative grew into a standalone non-profit agency providing a client-choice food pantry, essential clothing assistance and a hot meal program.
When LHI announced its dissolution in April, CCNEK stepped forward to preserve its legacy.
Parallel to the history of LHI is the cherished legacy of Topeka’s Corita’s Corner Sandwich Ministry. Established originally in the 1960s by Father Ed Hays at Assumption Parish, the ministry was created to ensure that Topeka’s most vulnerable neighbors would never go hungry.
The beloved outreach program was later led by Sister Mary Corita Conlan, a dedicated principal at Assumption School whose profound love for serving the poor inspired the ministry’s permanent name.
For decades, operating directly from a sliding window at the back of CCNEK’s original Family Support Center building on Kansas Avenue, unpaid volunteers handed out simple, dignity-filled sack lunches — consisting of a bologna-and-cheese sandwich, chips and sweet cookies — to hundreds of individuals each weekday.
With the acquisition of the LHI MacVicar Avenue facility, CCNEK has beautifully integrated these two distinct historical paths into an enhanced daily food operation.
On July 15, the sandwich ministry officially evolved into Corita’s Daily Meal Service. Moving completely away from a simple walk-up window, the newly expanded program proudly utilizes a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen to provide hot, freshly prepared daily meals.
More importantly, it offers an opportunity to converse about beyond-food resources needed to end material poverty in a welcoming indoor space where guests can sit down out of the harsh elements, gather around a table and experience a true sense of help, hope and hospitality.
By combining the historical missions of Let’s Help and Corita’s Corner under one roof, CCNEK is blending immediate emergency relief with multi-generational poverty solutions.
Alongside daily meals and the clothing closet, Topeka residents now have access to over 25 coordinated CCNEK programs, including financial literacy education, workforce development and comprehensive pregnancy support.
This transition honors the rich legacies of the past while building a stronger, more accessible foundation of care for countless future generations to come.
We are so excited to be moved in and already serving in our new space. We are even more grateful to those who made the transition with us, recognizing the Holy Spirit’s call to be a greater center of mercy and charity for those in need.
