Laboring against poverty in the nation for more than 40 years, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development – the national anti-poverty program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – will conduct its annual collection in parishes nationwide Nov. 12-13.
Traditionally taken up the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the collection is the primary source of funding for the USCCB subcommittee, and allows CCHD to “offer a hand up, not a hand out” to the more than 46 million people who live in poverty in the U.S., as stated on the USCCB website. “[It helps] low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities … [and] that encourage independence.” Twenty-five percent of funds collected remain in the Diocese to support local anti-poverty efforts.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau statistics on Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S. in 2018, “For over 38 million Americans, there is a thin line: between eviction and home, between hunger and health, between unemployment and work, between anxiety and stability. This line is the Poverty Line. For a family of four, that line is $25,750 a year.”
In addition to offering assistance, the funds collected by the annual campaign go toward education on poverty and its causes. “This strategy of education for justice and helping people who are poor speak and act for themselves reflects the mandate of the Scriptures and the principles of Catholic social teaching,” the collection literature explains. “CCHD provides the Catholic faithful with concrete opportunities to live out the love of God and neighbor in ways that express our baptismal call and continuing Eucharistic transformation. CCHD is made possible by the generous support of Catholics in the United States, especially through an annual parish collection.”
Groups funded by CCHD include Urban Tree Connection, which works to develop local gardening projects in low-income communities, turning vacant land into space for food production and teaching local low-income residents how to grow and sell food.
“These projects not only give residents access to nutritious foods but they also create an opportunity for people to develop leadership skills and build community bonds,” the CCHD website notes.
Another group, the Parish Peace Project in Chicago, used CCHD funds to address violence among the neighborhoods of struggling Latino youth and young adults. The project combines efforts of 15 parishes with the Office of Young Adult Ministry, Archdiocese of Chicago, providing support services to schools, assisting those caught up in the criminal justice system and providing restorative mental and medical health services.
More information about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is available at www.povertyusa.org. Other resources including collection materials can be found at www.usccb.org/cchd/collection.