January 2025 Newsletter

Corporal Works of Mercy and the Beatitudes at ARH

Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned.

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

Ames Romero House provides hope for those in despair. Every face we see entering our home is the face of Jesus. We thank our entire community for making 2024 a special year for our organization. As we enter 2025, we continue to seek better ways to service the poor and the marginalized in Story and Boone counties. We live in a caring and generous region where people of all backgrounds and beliefs can come together in unity to serve the poor.

We received numerous warm clothing donations during the Christmas season. Many of our guests were able to receive the clothing they seek to get them through the cold winter months ahead. We set up tables at the Orange House so guests could pick and choose from caps, gloves, footwear, clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags. It’s amazing to see how great an impact we have by changing the lives of our guests!

Thank you for your outpouring of compassion and support, and we look forward to many more success stories from our guests who have turned the corner and are now back up on their feet. We can’t do this work without our entire community coming together as ONE. We are all serving God by our actions at the Ames Romero House.

Our Community

Volunteer Spotlight

The Carter family is a fixture at ARH. Whether it’s caring for our chickens, preparing meals, or serving at hospitality, the Carter clan is always available and ready to give back to our growing community. Holly, Keaton, and their three children love helping out no matter the challenge.

Holly is a teacher in the Ames school district and Keaton is a software engineer. Their young family decided to commit to volunteer work at ARH following the memorial Mass of Michael Steimel, a big supporter of our mission. Matt Mitchell spoke at this memorial and mentioned Michael’s involvement in our mission and the importance of bringing our community together to assist those in need. Following this memorial, the Carters were fully committed to us.

Their three beautiful children made the famous chicken coop sign, “Our Ladies of Perpetual Clucking,” that many comment on when they see our chickens in action. Josie, Rosie, and Christopher love helping out around the house and giving back to a community at such a young age. Holly and Keaton want their children to experience what others less fortunate go through in their lives. Both Holly and Keaton grew up in financially challenging environments in northwest Iowa, so they feel it’s important for their children to witness the struggles of others and how a community can work together to improve people’s lives.

Holly stated her children love coming to ARH, and it’s the highlight of their day helping out around the house. When their busy schedules permit, the Carters will supply us with one or two pre-made meals per week to feed upwards of 50 people per day. We thank the Carters for their generosity, time, and prayers. They are teaching their children to follow God’s command of serving the poor and helping out those less fortunate–thank you!

Christmas Event with Martha’s House of Hope

The Great Room at the Orange House was bustling a few days before Christmas as we welcomed our friends from Martha’s House of Hope and many of our hospitality guests to our annual Christmas event. We had many of our guests, volunteers, board members, and community members join us for an evening of Christmas treats, hot chocolate, and our “festive punch.”

We had Christmas stockings for the children coordinated by Debbie Johnson from Christ Community Church and gift cards for the adults supplied by Sandy Swanson and her great team at Overflow Thrift Store. The collaborative event with Martha’s House of Hope was important for the community to witness two “like organizations” serving similar populations coming together to display our services to the Ames community. We thank both communities for attending our event and spreading the positive messages of our organizations.

Following the event, we had a well-attended Mass with Father Tim from Ascension Parish in Boone and Father Jim Dubert concelebrating.

SEEK 2025 Conference

This year’s SEEK conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah from January 1-5. This annual conference is an excellent venue to connect with thousands of Catholics by spreading the word of our mission and to attract those seeking a vocation through our home. We sent several members of our staff to Salt Lake City to sponsor a booth detailing our services to potential Live-ins, donors, and those wanting more information on ARH.

SEEK is an annual event that brings thousands of young Catholics together to network and share their faith with others. On top of ARH displaying our vocational opportunities to the masses, the event also provided time for our Live-ins to attend Mass and adoration and participate in the sacraments. In addition, conference sessions and guest speakers were available to all attendees.

A special “thank you” to Bob and Bonnie Gelina for their generosity in making this conference possible for our Live-ins to attend. This trip was a major success and accomplished all of our conference goals!

Preparing for Our Seminarians

ARH will host two seminarians from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee beginning January 15. The propaedeutic seminarians will split up into unknown pairs on January 15 and embark to unknown destinations, such as Ames! The propaedeutic stage is the initial year for seminarians, providing the basic groundwork they need to engage in priestly formation.

We will have the two seminarians for 25 days. During this period, they will work with the poor and provide comfort, fellowship, and prayer. The term used is “poverty immersion” as they immerse themselves in serving the poor in our community. We invite our community to stop by 709 Clark and say “hello” and meet our seminarians while they serve with us. We will disclose their names and backgrounds once they know their destination in the coming days.

“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two . . .” (Mk 6:7).

New ARH Live-in

We welcome Gavin Anderson to our home as our newest Live-in staff member. Gavin is a recent ISU graduate who wants to give back by helping the poor before embarking on his career in agronomy. Gavin has been a consistent volunteer at ARH along with his fiancée, Ella Townsend. In addition to his volunteer services at our home, Gavin has been a vocal leader at St. Thomas Aquinas by forming teams of student volunteers to help prepare meals and serve during our hospitality hours. Welcome, Gavin!