SCRANTON — Two faith-based nonprofit organizations that provide housing, shelter, food, clothing and other assistance to needy residents announced Wednesday they have merged.
The Catherine McAuley Center and Friends of the Poor, founded in 1984 and 1986 respectively, began exploring a merger nearly two years ago and began sharing space a year ago at the McAuley Center at 430 Pittston Ave. in South Side, and completed a merger Aug. 1, said Meghan Loftus, president and CEO of the new merged entity.
It takes both names with a new title of “Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center,” and a motto of “A Partnership for the Common Good,” said Loftus, who was president and CEO of the Friends group.
The merger came in response “to the increasing need for housing and shelter for disadvantaged families, combined with increased food insecurity among marginalized residents,” and the new organization aims “to better address those area challenges,” according to the announcement.
Both organizations had seen increased need for their services during the COVID-19 pandemic and afterward the needs have only grown.
Attendees to the press conference announcing the merger of the Friends of the Poor and the Catherine McAuley Center greet each other at Cooper’s Seafood House in Scranton on Wednesday, Oct. 01, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“Each of us saw an increase in requests for help. We thought a lot of that increase was from the pandemic, but it keeps increasing,” Loftus said.
The merger creates operational efficiencies in addressing such needs, she said.
“The intent behind the merger is we are both faith-based agencies and we have similar missions. By coming together, we can reduce programming and administrative duplication,” Loftus said.
For example, before the merger, both organizations had food pantry operations and finance and development departments, she said.
The McAuley center’s programs included family support, housing, women’s housing, women’s re-entry housing, emergency shelter, food pantry and other assistance, while the Friends group programs involved household, furniture and food assistance, senior adult programs and men’s clothing, according to their websites.
No employees were cut and the new organization has 30 employees, with about half coming from each predecessor organization, Loftus said. There has been some usual turnover. The McAuley center’s former director departed a year ago for a different job, and that post then was filled by an interim director, Loftus said.
“The need is incredible and there was going to be a spot for everyone moving forward,” though roles and tasks of some employee positions may have changed, she said.
Formerly with an administrative office at Marywood University in Green Ridge, Friends of the Poor grew from 2½ employees in 2017, when Loftus became the first lay person to head up the organization, to 16 staffers last summer, reflecting the growing need for assistance, Loftus said.
Outgrowing its space at Marywood, and with many clients in South Scranton, merging with the McAuley center on Pittston Avenue made sense, she said.
“We were very evenly matched. A lot of it was a 50-50 split,” Loftus said of the merger. “We recognize we share the same Catholic values and mission and complementary programming. By coming together, we reduce duplication so now we can serve more people and ensure long-term stability.”
Named for the Irish Catholic founder of the Sisters of Mercy in 1831 in Ireland, the Catherine McAuley Center in Scranton was founded by the late Sister Anne Paye, a former dean and professor at Misericordia University, where she was known as Sister Mary Paul. In 1983, Sister Anne along with Sisters Dorothy McLaughlin and Elizabeth Brandreth decided to help Scranton area women with housing needs by developing the St. Joseph Lithuanian Convent in North Scranton into a shelter that became known as the Catherine McAuley Center. The center had expanded over the years and into nine centers in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, providing shelter for women and their children, according to the obituary of Paye, who died in 2017.
Friends of the Poor was founded in 1986 by the late Sister Adrian Barrett, I.H.M., who was also known as “Sister Sneakers.” A decade earlier, in 1976, Barrett had started community holiday dinners. In 1986, the Burne family started food-basket giveaways and teamed with Barrett. The charitable endeavors have grown into an annual Thanksgiving Community Program.
The new organization also announced its annual Thanksgiving community programs.
On Nov. 21 at 7 p.m., the Scranton Area Ministerium will host an Interfaith Prayer Service at Temple Hesed at 1 Knox Road in Scranton.
On Nov. 25 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., or until supplies last, a take-out only Thanksgiving Community Dinner will be held at the Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave. and Vine Street, Scranton.
And on Nov. 26, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Family-to-Family Drive Through Food Basket Giveaway will be held at Scranton Cultural Center, limit of four dinners per vehicle while supplies last.