About the Sts. Joachim & Ann Care Service

Sts. Joachim & Ann Care Service was founded in 1981 by five volunteers, with $500 in-hand and a profound spirit of charity. Little did those five realize how far their dedication to assisting those in need would go, or how many thousands of people would be empowered, encouraged and uplifted by that spirit.

The Care Service is the largest comprehensive social support agency in the region (St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren Counties.)  Our mission is “to serve those in crisis and to prevent homelessness and hunger.”  We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, which has made considerable improvements in service delivery for our clients over the years.  We are now formally accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), have used best practices in developing our business standards, and have put quality control methods in place to become a model agency for others across the state.  These measures increase our capacity to protect families, especially children, the elderly and disabled, regardless of race, age, gender, or religion from the despair, hopelessness and social injustice caused by poverty.

We are the primary provider of programs for individuals, families and children in the tri-county area of St. Charles, Lincoln, and Warren. Services are available for those who earn at or below 50% of the state median income.

We offer comprehensive case management and wrap around services that connect those in need with many community partners. Together, we work to stabilize and move them toward a state of sustainability.

The Care Service is heavily supported by the community with more than 100,000 volunteer hours per year in addition to donations of material, labor, food and monetary contributions.

Through direct and wrap-around services, in 2018, the Care Service assisted 5,190 unduplicated individuals linked to 1,966 households. In 2018 our Housing Assistance program alone assisted 1,352 households (3,461 individuals). A total of 2,524 children were served across all our programs in 2018.

We have the ability to address homeless prevention issues with intensive assessments and case management by a highly trained staff.  We are able advocate on behalf of families in need and provide hope and the necessary foundation for getting them back on the path

Our goal is to break the cycle of poverty and impact systemic change one family at a time.

All of the Care Service programs are in place to help individuals and families combat the threat of homelessness, sickness, malnutrition and despair, so that they may work confidently towards sustainability and become productive citizens in our communities.

The Care Service is able to assist clients in finding housing through services and activities, starting with the certification and intake process to identify the needs of each client.  We also provide services that lead the household toward stability, such as with after-care planning, budgeting/credit repair, career counseling, food pantry, holiday packages, and any other services deemed critical for the household to become more self-reliant.  These programs include Housing Assistance, Children and Family Development, Food Pantry, Street Outreach, and Adopt-A-Family at Christmas.