Catholic Urban Programs

06/19/2026

06/10/2026

📣

Join us June 30th.

06/08/2026

Gentle Reminder:

🍎 FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR YOUTH! 🍎

East St. Louis School District 189 is proud to offer its Summer Meals Program for all youth ages 18 and under!

📅 Monday through Friday
🗓 June 2, 2026 – July 31, 2026

🚫 No meals will be served on:
• June 19
• July 2
• July 3

Meals will be available at the following locations:
🏫 Dr. Katie Harper-Wright Elementary School
🏫 Annette Officer Elementary School
🏫 Wyvetter Younge School of Excellence
🏫 East St. Louis Senior High School
🏫 Gordon Bush Alternative Center
🏫 SIUE Charter High School

🥞 Breakfast and 🍽 Lunch will be served daily. Please see the flyer below for specific meal service times at each location.

🚚 Exciting News! Our Food Truck Fridays begin next week! Join us each Friday at a selected location for a delicious lunch on the go.

📍 First Food Truck Stop:
East St. Louis Senior High School
📅 June 9

Help us spread the word so every child in our community has access to healthy, nutritious meals this summer!

06/03/2026

Happy Birthday to Allsup Charitable Services! 🥳
Our friends at Allsup are a lifeline to us at CUP and so many others.
Our hearts are full of gratitude today celebrating you! 💜💛

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACS!

Seven years ago, a vision took root in the Metro East: to strengthen organizations that strengthen communities. Today, Allsup Charitable Services continues to prove what is possible when business expertise, compassion, innovation, and service come together with purpose.

From strategic planning and leadership development to program support, communications, and educational equity, ACS has dedicated more than 50,000 hours of in-kind consultative support to community partners serving children, families in the Metro East/East St. Louis.

Inspired by the vision of founder Jim Allsup, ACS was built on the belief that organizations deserve more than advice. They deserve committed partners willing to walk alongside them, help solve challenges, and build sustainable futures together.

Over the years, ACS has supported organizations including Catholic Urban Programs, Christian Activity Center, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation and Academy, East Side Aligned, Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School, and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Belleville, IL Council, Unity Lutheran Christian Elementary School, Good Samaritan Ministries of the Metro East, Community Lifeline East Saint Louis while also helping hundreds of students access educational opportunities through the Tuition Assistance Program.

What makes ACS special is not simply the work itself, but the way it is done: collaboratively, creatively, ethically, and with a deep commitment to long-term impact. ACS embodies the idea that when organizations are strengthened, communities thrive.

Happy Birthday to Allsup Charitable Services and cheers to Lucky #7! To our founder, Jim Allsup, our leader Phakisha Horne, our director Dana Harris, and all of our ACS staff, partners, and TAP families and students, thank you for continuing to invest your time, talent, and heart into transforming lives across the Metro East.

www.allsupcares.org

05/26/2026

Our local East St. Louis Post Office came through this year with a blessings!
Each year, the National Association of Letter Carriers hosts the food drive, Stamp Out Hunger.
This food comes to us at a critical time when children are out of school for the summer and do not receive free meals at school.
If you want support feeding children this summer, check out our Amazon Wish List that ships directly to us, or drop off donations at The HUB 7 Vieux Carre Dr. ESTL.
Amazon Wish List: https://a.co/0ituX3ek

05/11/2026

CUP Board Secretary, Peggy Schifferdecker, has blessed us at CUP with her time, talent, and treasure for many years. Today she is offically retired from the Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce and we couldn't be more excited for her!
Join us in shouting "Happy Retirement!" to Peggy! 🥳

05/09/2026

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!

If you missed Give STL Day, you can support the work we do feeding the most vulnerable in our community right here: https://catholicurbanprograms.org/give/

05/07/2026

🕙THERE'S STILL TIME TO GIVE!

Give STL Day is almost over, and we still need your help to ensure we can stock our client choice pantry, HUB Foods, with fresh healthy options because we believe that access to fresh, healthy food is a matter of human dignity.

The large majority of the generous donations we receive at the pantry are packed foods. WE NEED YOUR HELP TONIGHT to ensure our clients have access to fresh produce!

💸Make a donation here: https://mtyc.co/m8x89f

Please help us spread the word and SHARE our post.💜

05/07/2026

Every day, the families we serve at Catholic Urban Programs face a heartbreaking choice: pay the bills or buy fresh food. For 76% of our neighbors at HUB Foods, that choice directly impacts their health.

📣Our goal is to raise $10,000 in the next 24 hours to bridge the "Produce Gap."

Your gift today stays right here in St. Clair County, turning Farmers Market produce into "preventative medicine" for our community.

$15 = 1 week of fresh produce for a senior.

$65 = 2 weeks of healthy food for a family.

$120 = A full month of health and dignity.

🍎Donate here: https://mtyc.co/jcnvwe

Every dollar counts toward our $10,000 goal. Thank you for standing with us! 💜💛

05/06/2026

🚨 GIVE STL DAYEARLY GIVING IS OPEN! 🚨

At Catholic Urban Programs, we believe that access to fresh, healthy food is a matter of human dignity. But for 76% of the families who visit HUB Foods, that dignity is at risk. High grocery costs mean fresh produce—the very "medicine" needed to fight diabetes and hypertension—is often the first thing cut from the list.

Our goal for Give STL Day on May 7 is $10,000 to bridge the "Produce Gap."

You don’t have to wait until May 7 to make an impact. By giving TODAY during the early giving period, you ensure that our neighbors in East St. Louis have a seat at a healthy table.

Where does your money go?
🍎 $15 – One full week of fresh produce for a senior neighbor (about the cost of a lunch out!).
🥦 $65 – Two weeks of fresh fruits and vegetables for a local family.
🌽 $120 – A full month of "nutritional medicine" for an individual in need.

We serve the most vulnerable in St. Clair County through crisis intervention and housing security, but it all starts with a healthy meal. Help us turn "food insecurity" into "health security."

Click below to schedule your gift now! 👇
https://mtyc.co/w9hrmf