Women in central Arkansas who want to help those in need have a place with the Ladies of Charity.
While they are small — only about 20 active members — they are looking to expand with new members and new projects to help the poor and homeless, prisoners, foster children and refugees.
With the holidays approaching, the organization connected to the work of St. Vincent de Paul is gearing up to help more people who need help.
The latest program members are working on is called Mary’s Cradle, formerly called Baskets of Love. Members gather care packages, including diapers, wipes, baby clothes, blankets, knitted hats and baby bottles, to give to low-income new and expectant mothers. The baskets are distributed through Birthright and the Arkansas Pregnancy Resource Center in Little Rock, as well as hospitals, the diocesan Respect Life Office and Catholic Charities.
Coordinator of Mary’s Cradle, Melissa Cawich, has been reaching out to consignment and retail stores to get new and gently used baby clothes.
“We try to improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable in Arkansas,” she said.
Cawich, a member of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, joined in 2024.
“I just had this calling to do more in 2023,” she said, “and I stumbled upon the Ladies of Charity online. I thought this is a really interesting group.”
Members met at St. John Center in Little Rock Oct. 29 to organize recent donations that Cawich gathered. Just from one consignment store in Conway, they filled about a dozen tubs full of clothes.
“To me, this is fun, it’s a way to serve God and get to know these ladies,” she said.
About 25 care packages from Mary’s Cradle were distributed in 2025, but with the new donations, the Ladies of Charity hope to do more in 2026.
Another ongoing project is Cookies for the Homeless, organized by Carole Glancy, who is also a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Anne Church in North Little Rock. The homemade cookies are delivered monthly to Stewpot, which is located at the Salvation Army.
Glancy said the Ladies of Charity have also been helpful in providing funds for the poor served by the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
“We make actual home visits and try to help with utilities and rent. There are times we have reached out to the Ladies of Charity for utility assistance,” she said.
The members are currently gathering items for stockings for children and teens served by Youth Home and sending funds to the Wrightsville women’s prison for Christmas gifts. They will also cook and serve a homemade Christmas dinner to clients at the Jericho Way homeless day center in Little Rock.
During the spring, members also took teens from Youth Home to a Traveler’s baseball game.
Marguerite Olberts, incoming president, said they sometimes receive notes from recipients thanking them for the game or gifts.
“We hear back from those kids at Youth Home. Some of them said it was the best day of their life. They’ve never done anything like that. Last year, some kids said that it was the first stocking they ever received. That is something that keeps us motivated,” she said.
Liz Callaway, current president, said the organization is not limited to who they can help. Its mission is “to serve rather than to be served in humility, simplicity and charity.”
“It’s anybody who needs help. We want to help them,” Callaway said.
The Ladies of Charity began in Arkansas in 2008 and worked closely with religious orders founded by St. Vincent de Paul, the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity. Members are proud to share that it is the oldest Catholic lay organization of women in the world. As both religious orders left the diocese in recent years, the Ladies of Charity continue to support the poor, as the saint did.
The next monthly meeting is 5 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 12 in Morris Hall at St. John Center. Callaway said interested women, who are Catholic or not, can attend to learn more.
To become a member or donate items for Mary’s Cradle, email lcark@dolr.org. For more information, visit lcark.org.
