Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis operates one of the largest human service networks in the Twin Cities, spanning emergency shelter, food shelves, housing programs, immigration legal services, mental health counseling, addiction recovery, and senior care. Most services are free, and all of them are open to people of any faith. This page covers what the organization runs, where donations go, and how to volunteer.
The program list is long because the need is broad: emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness, food shelves, longer-term housing programs, counseling, addiction recovery, and care for seniors. The Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul anchors much of the homelessness work and is one of the capital city's main resources for people without stable housing. Pairing shelter with counseling, addiction recovery, and housing programs matters because emergency beds alone rarely change a person's trajectory; the network is built so one door can lead to the others.
Immigration services have grown with the metro itself. The Twin Cities is home to large East African communities, particularly Somali and Ethiopian, along with substantial Hmong and Latino populations, and Catholic Charities has expanded its immigration legal services and culturally specific programs to match. Nearly all services are provided at no charge.
Unrestricted gifts fund the day-to-day machinery: shelter beds, food shelf inventory, caseworkers, and counselors. Because most clients pay nothing, private donations carry a real share of the operating load. Give through the official donation page.
The organization's annual Gala is one of the larger charity events in the Twin Cities, so event sponsorship is another route for businesses and larger donors who want a visible way to support the work.
Monthly recurring gifts suit an operation with year-round fixed costs like shelter staffing and food purchasing. Employer matching is worth checking too; many Twin Cities companies match employee donations, which doubles the value of a gift without costing you anything extra.
Volunteers keep the food shelves stocked and sorted, serve meals, and staff fundraising events. Meal service and food shelf shifts are recurring and concrete, and they suit people who want a regular commitment rather than a one-off project. Sign-up details are on cctwincities.org. Groups from workplaces and congregations can ask about volunteering together, which works well for recurring meal service shifts.
If you or someone you know needs services instead, the same site lists shelter, food, counseling, and housing programs with contact information for each.
Before donating, confirm 501(c)(3) status with the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and scan the organization's Charity Navigator profile. Save your receipt, and for gifts of $250 or more get the written acknowledgment the IRS requires.
Sources: Catholic Charities — Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis official site (cctwincities.org); our Minnesota charity guide research. Retrieved July 2026. We are not affiliated with Catholic Charities — Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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