CCHD November 23-24 in parishes throughout diocese

What is CCHD?

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the Catholic Church’s domestic anti-poverty agency and the largest private funder of anti-poverty programs initiated and led by poor people in the United States. Established in 1969 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Campaign embodies both Scripture and the Church’s social teaching by working to end poverty and injustice.

Each year in parishes throughout the Diocese of New Ulm, a collection is taken to help raise funds for CCHD. This year, the collection will be held on the weekend of November 23-24. Last year, the people of the Diocese of New Ulm contributed approximately $24,000 to the Campaign. One quarter of the collection stays in the diocese and the remainder is distributed nationally according to need.

CCHD’s Mission

The Campaign’s mission is two-fold: (1) to raise funds to support organized groups of poor and low-income people to develop economic strength and political power, and (2) to educate Catholics about the Church’s social teaching and poverty in the United States and to promote a greater sense of solidarity with the poor. CCHD is unique because the projects it supports are controlled by the poor and low-income people they serve.

For more than three decades, the Campaign has been a significant vehicle for social change, addressing the root causes of poverty and empowering those it serves. CCHD support community-controlled organizations that create jobs, businesses, affordable housing, child care - and many other solutions to poverty.

What does CCHD do?

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has supported some 4,000 community programs in the past 30 years. The most recent grants were distributed as follows: 51% for housing and community development; 31% for family issues (including homelessness, youth issues, child care and support, anti-violence efforts, welfare, the environment, education, health care, and disability rights); 18% for jobs and economic development.

Statistics

- In 1970, the wealthiest fifth of all Americans held 43% of all the wealth; the poorest held only 4.1%. Thirty years later, the wealthiest held close to half of the wealth, while the poorest held only 3.6%.

- 34 million Americans lived below the federal poverty line in 2001.

-One in six children in America are poor.

- In the 1990s, the number of working families with full-time, minimum-wage equivalent incomes and inadequate housing increased by nearly one-third.

For further information in regard to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development visit their web site at www:usccb.org/cchd

Help break the cycle of poverty. Please give generously to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in your parish November 23-24, 2002