Perz Family Helps During Pandemic
The neighborhood around Central Catholic High School has long been important to Joe Perz, a 1957 graduate who was also the facilities director for CCHS for nearly 30 years. Perz was instrumental in overseeing campus expansion, including the Sullivan Center, Gallagher Athletic Complex, the bus circle in front of the school, new windows throughout the building, and renovation of Central Catholic’s Christ the King Chapel.
But before Central Catholic was his alma mater, Perz attended St. Mary’s just a few blocks down Cherry on Page Street. Today, Joe is back helping at what was St. Mary’s rectory and is today the Mareda Center (TMC), an outreach ministry for central city children and families.
Allison Perz, a 1983 Central Catholic graduate and Joe’s daughter, has been the coordinator at TMC for seven years. TMC was tending to the educational needs of the neighborhood children and helping their mothers until COVID-19 interrupted that mission. With GED programs for adults and support services for pre-school and school-aged children, the goal was to help residents of the local neighborhood achieve academic success.
Allison and the board of the Mareda Center shifted plans In March when on-site education and after school programs were canceled. “Before the pandemic, our work focused on changing the face of poverty through education,” she explained. “Now, we are still focused on supporting families, but we are helping them fight food insecurity, get cleaning supplies, and have access to personal supplies instead.”
This new focus is what prompted Joe and other Perz family members, who are also Central Catholic graduates, to join in the mission. On Mondays and Fridays, TMC distributes breakfasts and lunches that the children would have received at school. Weekend food bags have shelf-stable pantry items like soups, ravioli, canned vegetables and fruits, bread, and canned and jarred sauces. These items are collected and purchased by TMC and delivered to families throughout the neighborhood. Joe is often in his truck picking up supplies, and the Perz family helps sort and distribute the much-needed items.
Pictured are Zach Wells (Class of 2019), Andrea (Perz) Wells (Class of 1990), Allison, and Joe, who are among the weekly helpers involved in the food distribution.