Catholic Charities of Kansas City–St. Joseph covers western Missouri, from the Kansas City metro up through the northwest corner of the state, with refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, emergency food, counseling, housing programs, and adoption services. Its immigration attorneys handle DACA renewals, family petitions, and work authorization for Kansas City's Somali, Vietnamese, and Latino communities. Below is what the agency does, how to give, and where volunteers fit in.
Kansas City receives refugees from a range of countries, and this agency handles the resettlement coordination plus the ongoing support that follows: housing, casework, and connection to jobs and schools. Immigration legal services run alongside that, covering DACA renewals, family petitions, and work authorization for communities concentrated in Kansas City's urban core. Resettlement doesn't end at the airport, either: school enrollment, medical appointments, and first jobs all have to get sorted in a family's opening months, and caseworkers shepherd that process.
Beyond immigration work, the agency provides emergency food assistance, mental health counseling, housing programs, and adoption services. Eastern Missouri is covered separately by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis; between the two agencies, the Catholic network reaches communities across the state that secular nonprofits often don't.
Unrestricted money is the most useful gift, because emergency assistance demand moves around: one month it is rent help, the next it is the food program. Give through the donation page linked from this profile, and consider a modest recurring gift over a single larger one; steady income is what lets an agency staff caseworkers year-round.
If you would rather give goods, contact the agency first through its official site to ask what its food and household programs currently accept, rather than assuming.
Volunteers assist with food pantry operations, resettlement services, and administrative support. Pantry shifts are the simplest way in; resettlement support, which puts you alongside newly arrived families, usually requires an application and screening first.
All services, and all volunteer roles, are open to people of any faith or none. The Catholic identity of the agency does not restrict who can serve or be served.
Mental health counseling and adoption services round out the family-facing side of the agency. If you are seeking either, go straight to the official site for intake details, since fees, eligibility, and waitlists vary by program and location.
Before giving, confirm 501(c)(3) status through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (apps.irs.gov) and review the organization's Charity Navigator listing. Keep your receipt; gifts of $250 or more need a written acknowledgment from the charity to claim a deduction.
Sources: Catholic Charities of Kansas City–St. Joseph official site (catholiccharitiesks.org); our Missouri charity guide research. Retrieved July 2026. We are not affiliated with Catholic Charities of Kansas City–St. Joseph and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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