Despite opposition from some lay Catholics, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced in a November 13 press release that the November 21-22 special collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) take place. The release noted that the CCHD funds “breaking the cycle of poverty. In 2008, CCHD funding involved 776 Catholic parishes, 18 Catholic Charities agencies and 51 religious communities.”
Among the groups funded by the CCHD, according to the release, are:
• Federation of Congregations United to Service (FOCUS): a grassroots, multicultural, interdenominational organization in the Diocese of Orlando, Florida that empowers low-and-moderate-income families with leadership training and skills that build relationships for community change, including improvement of neighborhoods, public safety, education and children’s health care access.
• McIntosh SEED: a community-based organization in the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia, involved in the creation of a summer tutorial program that helped 200 students and their families improve their reading and math skills.
• Savannah Local Food Collaborative: also in the Savannah Diocese, an organization that is working to relocate a local farmer’s market in order to increase access to healthy, local food for the entire community, improve local food security, strengthen the local economy, and move toward a more sustainable environmental future.
• Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network (MINF): group in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis that engages immigrants and allies on immigration policy, developing a broad base of leadership to address the broken immigration system, with a particular focus on immigrant youth.
• Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless (MCH): statewide coalition of people who have experienced homelessness, housing and shelter service providers, and advocates working together to obtain resources for affordable housing and homeless programs.
According to the release, “CCHD funds programs where poor and marginalized people are empowered to make decisions, seek solutions to local problems and find ways to improve their lives and neighborhoods. Economic development initiatives help poor and low-income people develop new businesses, create new jobs and develop assets that are owned by families and communities. CCHD also provides educational opportunities for Catholics to learn about poverty, interact with those affected by it and reflect on a faith response to it.”
Lay Catholics point out that the CCHD provided some $7.3 million over the last ten years to ACORN, the leftist organization that supported President Obama’s political campaign and which has been subsequently disgraced through numerous revelations. Since its creation in 1969, CCHD has given more than $280 million to fund what it calls over “7,800 low-income-led, community-based projects that strengthen families, create jobs, build affordable housing, fight crime, and improve schools and neighborhoods.” Furthermore, CCHD says it educates Catholics “about the causes of poverty and seeks to build solidarity between impoverished and affluent persons,” and supports “organized groups of white and minority poor to develop economic strength and political power.” On November 11, 2008, Bishop Roger Morin, chairman of the Bishops’ subcommittee on CCHD, announced that ACORN was permanently cut off as a grant recipient.
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