Cover photo: Rachel, another mother served in our Mom’s Empowerment Program.
Earlier this year, Mandy came to us wanting help to find a job. Mandy had previously struggled with substance abuse, but after completing rehab, was residing in a sober living house. She was excited to re-enter the workforce and provide for herself. Unfortunately, I learned a barrier to Mandy working was an expired ID. To renew her state ID, she had to provide her birth certificate. Mandy wasn’t born in Missouri, so we helped her order a birth certificate from out of state; 12 weeks later, it finally arrived.
During those 12 weeks, Mandy was evicted for not being able to pay rent (because she couldn’t get a job…. because she didn’t have an ID…. because she didn’t have a birth certificate) and became homeless. The stress of living on the street led to a substance relapse. You see how things go sometimes?
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Mandy eventually returned to rehab and upon release, called me again to see if her birth certificate had arrived. It had, and we were able to work together to get Mandy a job. She is now employed at a living wage and is working hard to regain custody of her children. I share this story with Mandy’s permission, because for many, the line between having a home and not having a home, between sobriety and addiction is razor thin.
Your donations to Catholic Charities matter in lifting moms like Mandy from homelessness to self-reliance. AND, you could get a tax refund for helping!
The state of Missouri offers tax credits in exchange for some types of charitable donations to incent investment in areas that benefit the state’s economy or social welfare. This allows individuals and/or businesses to direct their state income tax to programs they care about.
Just like some credit cards give you cash back for every dollar you spend; the state of Missouri essentially gives you cash back if you donate to a qualified program.
For those who aren’t tax aficionados, tax deductions reduce the amount of income you pay taxes on while tax credits reduce the amount of taxes you owe. Dollar-for-dollar, tax credits are much more valuable, and you can receive tax credits even if you don’t itemize deductions on your return. If you’ve already paid your Missouri state income tax through automatic payroll deductions, you can still claim tax credits, and you may get a refund.
The two Catholic Charities programs that provide tax credits in exchange for donations are Mom’s Empowerment and Food Pantry. Donations to our Mom’s Empowerment program receive a 70% tax credit match; donations to our Food Pantry program receive a 50% tax credit match.
Let’s say you owe $10,000 in Missouri state tax. If you donate $10,000 to Mom’s Empowerment, the tax credit is $7,000; so instead of owing $10,000, you’ll only owe $3,000 in state tax.
Businesses can take advantage of this, too, if they owe Missouri state tax. If you’d like to donate and receive tax credits, call Deanna Ricke at 816-398-6894, or email at DRicke@CCharities.com.
You can also go to our website click on the “Support Us”, then “Donate.” In the donation “comments” section, put “Tax Credits”, and I’ll contact you about tax credit opportunities.
Your donation truly makes a difference. In Mandy’s case, the cost of 12 weeks of rent was $1,680. $1680 could have saved her from eviction and addiction. Every dollar matters. Thank you for sharing yours with us.
By Deanna Ricke, Corporate Engagement Director at Catholic Charities of Kansas City–St. Joseph