Projects and initiatives in the Diocese of Trenton that seek to provide basic human needs are invited to apply for a grant made possible through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Each year a special collection is taken up in parishes across the country to support the CCHD, which is the official anti-poverty program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. CCHD addresses the needs of the poor by providing grants to anti-poverty efforts. This year’s collection will be taken up the weekend of Nov. 21-22.

Seventy-five percent of the monies collected as part of the CCHD is sent to the USCCB’s national office while 25 percent is retained by the Trenton Diocese and awarded in grants of $2,000 to $10,000 each to fund local projects that assist those in need. A particular organization or agency can receive a grant for two consecutive years; afterward, a year must pass before that agency or organization can submit another grant application.

Father John C. Garrett, director of the CCHD for the Diocese, said of the CCHD initiative, “St. Paul wrote in one of his letters that charity begins at home, while reminding the churches he visited to remember the poor ones in the Holy Land.”

“In a similar manner, the USCCB supports both home missions through CCHD and foreign missions through Catholic Relief Services. It is important to develop programs to help people in our own country, in our own communities, to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty in which they often find themselves.”

Last year, CCHD grants totaling more than $36,000 were awarded to four social service agencies including Good Counsel Homes-South Jersey, Riverside, which provides shelter and assistance to pregnant women and their children, Collier Youth Services, Wickatunk; the Mercer County Catholic Youth Organization, and the Trenton Diocesan Council of St. Vincent de Paul.

In order to facilitate the awarding of grants in a transparent manner, three criteria were developed. Priority will be given to new initiatives sponsored by agencies or parishes that enhance or provide for a foundation of self-sufficiency. Second, the agency will have a mission of providing social services with a focus on basic human needs, such as food, clothing, shelter and employment. Third, applications will only be accepted from Catholic social agencies recognized as such by the National Catholic Directory and Parish Social Service Outreach Programs in the Diocese.

For more information on the CCHD grant or to request a copy of the grant application, contact Father Garrett at 856-461-6555 or email: [email protected]. Grant applications may be obtained at dioceseoftrenton.org. Deadline to submit applications is Oct. 1.