Good Shepherd Supports Our Service Members (GS-SOS)

Good Shepherd Supports Our Service Members is a non-profit organization founded by parishioners of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in 2008. 

Our mission is to provide support and assistance to United States Military personnel and their families, with a particular emphasis on those serving overseas in harm’s way. We work with the community to promote awareness of the needs, giving the community the opportunity to become involved and contribute in a variety of ways. We pray for our service members and support organizations and efforts to promote the Catholic faith within the Military.

GS-SOS members send care packages to deployed military upon receiving their name and address, and again at Christmas time. Parishioners help us with sending note cards to the deployed throughout the year.

Three special envelopes are in your monthly envelope packets (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Thanksgiving) which helps support the work of GS-SOS. In addition,
GS-SOS holds an annual Basket(s) Raffle fundraiser, usually around the 4th of July. This year, the Raffle will be held on Sunday, July 7, 2024. We will begin selling raffle tickets the weekend of June 15/16, 2024. Download and view our Basket Raffle Descriptions... 

We also recognize our Veterans on or around Veterans Day each year.

The GS-SOS members regularly line the Good Shepherd driveway with the American flags the weekends of Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day.
 

Parishioners are encouraged to submit the names and addresses of any deployed service members, whether they are family members or friends of your family. Contact Nancy Niehaus in the parish office at 513-489-8815 ext. 725 or  [email protected] with questions or for information. Your support is greatly appreciated!

On February 5, 2024, GS-SOS members voted to send donations to the following Veteran run organizations:
 

• Easterseals Redwood—$1,000—Funds directed to assistance for Veterans
• Warriors to Lourdes—$1,000—Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, this organization takes Veterans with disabilities to Lourdes free of charge.
• Tunnel to Towers—$1,000—Funds directed to assistance for Veterans
• Major Samuel Woodfill Chapter of the US Army—$2,500—Funds directed to their scholarship fund for children of active military and veterans.
• Honor Flight Tri-State—$1,000—Honor Flight takes veterans free of charge to visit their memorials in Washington, D.C. 
• Hospice of Cincinnati—$1,000—Veterans’ Program
• K9 for Warriors—$1,000—Service dogs for veterans
• AfgFree.org—$2,000—Veteran run organization—Their Mission—Keep the promise made to US Citizens, Afghan Partners and others in need by working in a highly collaborative environment to sustain and evacuate US Citizens, our partners and their families by land, sea or air while training and assisting others to do the same.  Read further for more information.
• PWC— $1,000—People Working Cooperatively—Funds directed to assistance for Veterans

 
In addition to the financial contributions listed above, some of the things we did locally in the past year are:  purchased a lift chair for a local veteran; gave a $100 gift card to each of two service members who returned home from deployment; sent care packages to the deployed; assisted the McNicholas High School Alumni with the purchase of Christmas toys for the children of the residents at Joseph House; and provided lunch for our parish veterans in celebration of Veterans Day. 
 
Our sincere thanks to all our parishioners for your support of our ministry.  Without your support and generosity, we wouldn’t be able to help our service members and Veterans.