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Welcome!
We are the Ladies
of Charity of Chattanooga (LOCC), a branch of the world's oldest
faith-based volunteer group. Our roots lie in 17th century France,
where the Ladies of Charity were originally founded by St. Vincent
de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac.
Both are recognized throughout the world as champions of the
poor and underprivileged. The seeds sown by these two heroes
of charity have grown into a worldwide ministry for social justice,
with 420,000 members in 43 countries.
In Chattanooga, our
work began in 1963 at Lindsey and Vine Streets, where 30 women
representing the city's Catholic parishes established a soup kitchen
that, over time, served some 400,000 sandwiches and thousands
of gallons of soup to the needy. In 1979 we purchased a building
at 1800 East Main Street and opened a donation-supported resale
shop to fund our charitable giving. In 2008 we moved our growing
ministry to 2821 Rossville Boulevard, where we expanded our resale
shop into the Greater Good
Thrift Store.
Through the efforts of our staff of two and our 200 members and
volunteers (women and men alike), LOCC currently raises the money
needed to annually deliver about $140,000 in direct aid and in-kind
assistance to the those in need. Our focus is on helping neighbors
who might otherwise fall through the cracks of our local social
assistance network.
We are ecumenical in our work and in seeking support. We do not
ask anyone -- aid recipient, volunteer or donor -- what, if any,
faith they follow. LOCC receives no government funding, so we
are free of complications that might delay or prevent us from
meeting urgent needs.
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