I have always loved “snow days,” and we have had more this year than we have in some time. It has been one of our coldest and snowiest winters in a while. 

When I served in parishes with schools, I loved that the kids got a bonus day off from school. Even now where I live at St. Bart’s, I hear the sounds of excitement and joy on the field across from the rectory. I think there is more noise from that field on snow days than when soccer games are played there in warmer weather. It is a joy knowing the kids are having such fun with their friends and families.

At the same time, I now think differently about snow days since coming to Catholic Charities over 10 years ago. I realized that while I was comfortable in the rectory watching those children or enjoying a good book, maybe even in front of a fire, there were a lot of people who did not have that luxury. I was very comfortable while many were not.

I grew to appreciate even more our staff members who work in shelters. They sometimes need to stay at work because their replacements cannot get in. This is more than just an extra hour or two. It can be 48 straight hours working with those who are homeless. Shelter residents are usually unable to go out because of the weather, so the need for services increases, which only adds to the pressure on our already exhausted staff.

I also think of the still too many people out on the cold streets of our city. We know from point-in-time surveys that more than 5,000 people are homeless in Washington on any given night. About one-third of those are children. 

I was surprised not long ago to discover a tent city just above the very expensive Center City shopping area. The tents are not on the outskirts of town or somewhere out of the way, but right smack in the middle of our nation’s capital. I noticed about 15 tents as I drove by, occupied by people trying to find whatever shelter they can. Many of them also face mental health issues. 

On snow days, the nearby buildings these tent residents may use for restroom facilities are sometimes closed. The food they hope to receive through distribution programs may not be available, as volunteers in those programs sometimes cannot get there to help with the work. These are all the people I worry about when it snows.

Both are real: the joy of snow days and the screams of laughter and fun, as well as the tears and suffering of those who don’t have what we have — a roof over our head, warmth, meals on our table and good healthcare. 

So, by all means enjoy the fun and bonuses of cold and snowy days. Keep yourself warm, safe and healthy. At the same time, please remember and pray for those who do not have the same blessings of a place to call home and access to heat, food and healthcare. 

It is our responsibility at Catholic Charities to help those in need, and maybe you feel this responsibility as well. Here are a few simple suggestions to help. If you have coats you are not using, consider donating them for those who don’t have any and would truly appreciate the extra warmth. We organize a coat drive and distribution in December and January each year but also accept coats at other times. 

I would also call your attention to a food drive coming up in late March during Lent. We at Catholic Charities will distribute some of this food, but it is primarily for local parishes that have food pantries. Information is available at https://www.catholiccharitiesdc.org/lenten-food-drive-2022. Or see your parish bulletin for details.

And as always, cash donations are immensely helpful. They enable those on the front lines to lovingly serve and help those in need. 

I have always been amazed at how much people respond when you ask for their help. I guess I’m asking right now if you could put those who are cold, homeless and hungry on your list of people to help, whether through your parish or Catholic Charities or both, as they struggle a little while longer to make it through another winter. In the meantime, we all eagerly await the beauty, warmth and new life of spring.

(Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, writes the “Faith in Action” column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)