Stewards stuff statements with a smile

“We can get pretty wild in here sometimes,” said stuffer and St. Jude Thaddeus parishioner Karen Schroder while joining other volunteers placing end-of-year tax statements in envelopes at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Beaumont.
Karen Schroder is part of a group of volunteer stewards affectionately called the “BFA Stuffers” because they help stuff thousands of Bishop’s Faith Appeal pledge reminders into envelopes each year.
The stuffers’ efforts were recognized with the Diocesan Stewardship Council Award during the Faithful Steward Award Ceremony this past August.
Karen Schroder was talked into being a volunteer stuffer by her parents, St. Pius X parishioners Alice and John Schroder, who are long time volunteers.
“They talked me into this after my retirement from teaching,” Schroder said.
“I really had to twist her arm,” John Schroder said with a smile. John Schroder drew laughs from the 12 stuffers gathered when explaining why he volunteers for the stuffing.
“I just needed the hours to graduate,” he said.
The stuffers serve a vital need. They stuffed more than 7,500 tax statements on Jan. 26 alone. They meet nine times a year to work on just the appeal reminders. They help with other mailings as well. In the 18 months leading up to the Faithful Steward Award ceremony, the stuffers gathered more than 25 times to help with mailings. Some of those were for the diocesan 50th anniversary celebration.
“They put in tons of volunteer hours, and we wanted to recognize them publicly,” said Stewardship Council member Sally Kunk.
“They do it all by hand. They sit there for hours doing that,” Kunk said.
The volunteer stewards save the diocese thousands of dollars a year. Without them, the diocese would have to pay to have the pledge reminders stuffed into envelopes.
Fellowship is another reason why John Schroder and several of the stuffers continue their stewardship.
“I also enjoy the people, that’s what keeps me coming back,” John Schroder said.
“You get to be with your friends and make new ones. And you build the Catholic faith,” said stuffer Gene Landry, a member of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish.
“It’s just another stewardship effort,” Landry said. Landry has a deep understanding of stewardship. He is a past recipient of the Msgr. Richard DeStefano Faithful Steward Award.
“I haven’t got anything better to do,” Landry said jokingly about the stuffing. He then added, “Besides a nice get together, we feel like we are contributing.”
That sentiment was echoed by Our Lady of the Pines parishioner Lynn Stacy who makes the drive from Woodville to join in the stuffing.
”I come down to hang out with my friends and have a day away,” Stacy said.
Jerry Dean, another parishioner at Our Lady of the Pines, also makes the long trip from Woodville.
“When I retired, I decided to come help,” Dean said. “The breakfast is awesome.”
The diocese provides breakfast for the early morning work to show appreciation for the thousands of dollars the stuffers save the diocese.
“The way we’re treated makes us want to come back. We’re family,” Dean said.
Group members say they also volunteer because they understand the importance of the annual appeal since it provides funds for diocesan ministries and Catholic Charities.