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- Congratulations for your new position. Can you please tell the Greek-American Community about your organization FOCUS? When was it established? By Whom? For what purpose? What do you actually do?
The Church in America has created many pan-Orthodox organizations. However, until FOCUS, none united Orthodox Christians in domestic service work.
In 2009, several leaders of the Church (who helped found other impactful ministries like IOCC) founded FOCUS. They understood that the Church needed a domestic service arm to mobilize Orthodox Christians locally.
FOCUS is the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to serve. We make the Lord’s love visible for people across the country.
FOCUS currently operates 12 Centers which offer a wide range of services. In Cleveland, we operate a 28-bed emergency shelter and 12-bed transitional house; we also serve 3 hot meals a day, on top of other services. In Houston, we offer women and families material resources like car seats, diapers, baby clothes, and baby formula; we also offer ESL classes, parenting and life skills classes, and other programs.
And the ministry of FOCUS is growing, by God’s grace. Since 2023: we’ve more than doubled the number of Centers in operation, and we’re on track to almost triple our operations in the next few months.
FOCUS also operates national ministries like YES (Youth Equipped to Serve), which offers formative service learning opportunities for youth and young adults, and seasonal programs like Back-to-School Backpacks.
People across America are familiar with Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, the Salvation Army, etc. We look forward to a day when people will be just as familiar with FOCUS and will know the Church because of the love we make visible.
- Why do you think there is so much poverty and hunger in the US, the richest country in the world?
We believe that poverty is a result of disconnection: material (people are disconnected from the things they need), social (people refuse to share their abundance), and theological (we are disconnected from God, which shapes how we live).
If we were close to God, we would be close to each other and better serve each other. People would know we are God’s disciples by our love for each other (John 13:35). In fact, the Lord tells us that, if we obey His words, there would be no poor among us (Deuteronomy 15:4-5). But our love is limited. As Lazarus suffered at the gate of the Rich Man, our brothers and sisters suffer in the streets while we feast.
We don’t obey God’s Word, so people suffer.
That’s why FOCUS isn’t simply a nonprofit: it’s a ministry that mobilizes Orthodox Christians into service; that leads us to reevaluate our relationship with money and those who are forgotten and suffer in silence.
Because, if we obeyed the Word of the Lord, there would be no poor among us.
- Is FOCUS connected with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese?
FOCUS is a pan-Orthodox ministry affiliated with the Assembly of Bishops, which is chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. FOCUS is connected not just with the Archdiocese, but with all jurisdictions.
FOCUS has a wonderful relationship with the Archdiocese: both parishes and Philioptochos chapters support our 12 Centers, host YES Trips, and engage with our annual Back-to-School Backpack initiative. Parishioners and families of the Archdiocese also offer personal gifts and volunteer their time to support the continued growth of FOCUS.
I was baptized in Astoria, NY and was formed by the ministries of the Archdiocese. I was educated at Holy Cross and spent a decade as Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministries. I am a son of the Archdiocese and am deeply grateful for its support. As FOCUS continues to blossom across America, I hope that even more faithful will unite so we can establish new ministries for the glory of God.
- How do you see your role as Executive Director?
It’s primarily one of service: to ensure that FOCUS has clarity of mission, process, and communication. I serve our staff by ensuring that everyone at FOCUS is best positioned to offer their unique gifts; our donors by ensuring that their precious contributions are used efficiently and effectively; and the Church at large by continuing to spread the word about the importance of service and almsgiving, which are spiritual disciplines no less important than prayer and fasting.
I’m called to distribute praise and keep blame for myself. If things are going well, it’s a testament to our wonderful team and God’s grace. If things are going poorly, it’s my responsibility to make sure we improve.
- How is FOCUS supported financially?
FOCUS is 100% donor funded. As a ministry, our mission is to both to serve and to mobilize Orthodox Christians into that service: to be both volunteers and donors, offering their time and resources for the growth of our philanthropic witnesses.
The only limit on FOCUS’s growth is the depth of our love as a Church. Saint John Chrysostom, who reflected on the Parable of the Rich Fool, said we should store our wealth in the bellies of the poor rather than keep it for ourselves (Luke 12:13-21).
As we bring more Orthodox Christians together to make the Lord’s love visible, FOCUS can grow to a point where we’re offering extensive services (homeless shelters, feeding programs, clothing distributions, etc) in cities and towns across the United States. What a blessing that would be!
- What is your annual budget and how do you achieve it?
Our total 2025 budget is about $4 million: $3 million in cash and $1 million in donated items (food, clothing, etc) that we distribute directly to those in need. FOCUS is audited by an independent accounting firm every year to ensure accuracy and transparency, and we post comprehensive financial information on our website.
FOCUS is dependent primarily upon the generosity of Orthodox Christians. Parishes across the country add FOCUS to their annual budgets and support the work of their local Center. Philoptochos chapters serve meals and donate pantry items. Individual faithful offer gifts ranging from a few dollars a month to several hundred thousands dollars a year.
I learned of a man who spent several years in our homeless shelter in Cleveland before finding shelter on his own. Every Christmas, he would mail a single dollar bill to FOCUS. He is like the widow who offered her two mites (Luke 21). He didn’t have much, yet he gave so generously! He gave from his poverty, how can we not give from our prosperity?
- How do you think the Omogeneia (Greek-American) Community can help?
I would encourage your readers to:
- pray for the ministry of FOCUS; and
- support FOCUS with a gift, whether for an existing Center or our continued growth.
They can either make that gift online at focusna.org/donate or by sending a check to:
FOCUS North America
PO BOX 645039
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-5039
If it’s a check, they should be sure to designate how exactly they’d like to allocate that gift in the memo like (for a particular existing or developing Center, for continued growth, for Youth Equipped to Serve, etc).
Mr. Kalmoukos, I am very grateful for the opportunity to share about the ministry of FOCUS. Thank you and may God always bless you and your readers!
