Catholic Charities USA: America’s vulnerable need more help

Social Justice News
March 14, 2008

Catholic Charities USA: America’s vulnerable need more help
Washington, DC—At the White House today, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) called for the strengthening of federal nutrition programs and innovative public-private partnerships to help reduce hunger and poverty in America.

“Effective public policy and innovative partnerships with government support must continue to be strengthened in order help to address the growing problem we face with hunger in this nation,” said Candy Hill, senior vice president for social policy and government affairs for CCUSA, speaking at a roundtable discussion on solutions to combating hunger held by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

“No one in America should go to bed hungry,” said Hill. “Yet hunger impacts 35 million people in this country, including children, the elderly, and many working adults.”

Hill said the problem is getting worse, not better as more and more people are turning to Catholic Charities for help with food. In 2006 alone, local Catholic Charities agencies saw a 12 percent increase in the need for food service programs. Between 2002 and 2006, the number of clients receiving food services increased by 2.7 million, or nearly 60 percent, to 6.3 million.

For Catholic Charities USA, which launched its Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America last year, ensuring access to basic nutrition is key element in helping to lift families out of poverty.

In her remarks, Hill pointed to several vital government programs that must be preserved and strengthened to cut the rates of hunger and poverty in this country. These include the Food Stamp Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, the Emergency Food Assistance program, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Grant Program.

Catholic Charities Delivering Critical, Comprehensive Services to the Hungry
Hill also highlighted several local Catholic Charities programs that are partnering with other nonprofits and the government to deliver critical services to those who are hungry.

“Catholic Charities agencies serve the hungry, but they also provide more than just food,” said Hill. “Individuals are often engaged in services that will help them on a path to self sufficiency. We are able to do this work because we are an effective and accountable partner with the government.”

WIC Food and Nutrition Centers Program, Chicago, IL. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a USDA food and nutrition program administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services and operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Eighteen centers provide a variety of WIC-approved foods for eligible participants. The food centers provide a supervised playroom, access to social services, job training and educational programs. In addition, vision and hearing testing, immunization screening, paternity establishment and nutrition education are available. Some of the centers provide one-stop shopping offering WIC services, day care, Head Start, family case management and health services.

Our Daily Bread, Baltimore, MD. For more than 25 years, Our Daily Bread, a dining facility run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, has been providing warm and nutritious meals to the city’s poorest residents. The largest facility of its kind in the Maryland, Our Daily Bread serves an average of 800 meals per day and more than a quarter million meals to the hungry each year. Last year, the dining service moved to a brand new facility—Our Daily Bread Employment Center (ODBEC)—where clients can access other vital programs that focus on promoting self-sufficiency. Guests eating at OBBEC are encouraged after exiting the dining area to walk down the hall and use the center’s other resources to meet their employment, housing, and other needs.

St. Mary Center, Des Moines, IA. St. Mary Family Center, a program of Catholic Charities of of the Diocese of Des Moines, is not only a place for those in need to find food and clothing. The Center takes a comprehensive approach to helping the 21,000 families that it serves every year. St. Mary’s is one of the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s (DMARC) Emergency Food Pantries and serves the largest number of clients of any of the DMARC food pantries. It is a popular site for non English-speaking people and provides food appropriate for diverse social and religious needs. The Catholic Charities Financial Assistance program is also housed at St. Mary’s Family Center and offers a place for those in need to apply for financial assistance for rent, rental deposits, and other emergency financial aid.

St. Vincent’s Center, Reno, NV. The St. Vincent’s Center, operated by Catholic Community Services of Northern Nevada, has been serving congregate diners on a daily basis for more than 40 years. Clients range from families with children to seniors scrambling to make ends meet on fixed incomes. Here, too, demand is on the rise. When the new facility opened in 2006, the average number of people served per day rose to 333, an increase of 17 percent over the previous six months. St. Vincent’s also operates a food pantry that provides supplemental food for an average of 14,000 people a month, nearly 4 percent the local county population. Of those people, more than half receive monthly food staples, more than 5,000 receive “dallies” (donated perishables), and more than 2,000 receive “travel packs” (food for persons who need a little extra to tide them over until next month).

Learn more about CCUSA's hunger advocacy efforts.

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