“While it has certainly been a challenging year, we are
overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and generosity of the Western New York
community,” said Deacon Steve Schumer, president & CEO, Catholic Charities.
“Never before has the annual Appeal been so relevant. In just a three-month
timeframe during the coronavirus pandemic, we provided services to more than
29,000 individuals and families from across all faiths.”
The annual Appeal helps to fund Catholic Charities’ programs
and services, including food pantries, basic emergency assistance, mental
health and substance abuse counseling, and workforce and education, among
others at dozens of sites across Western New York, along with a number of
programs and ministries through the Fund for the Faith. Since mid-March and the
onset of the pandemic, the volume of clients Catholic Charities has been
assisting in its nine food pantries has been up 37% over this same timeframe
last year.
“The pandemic has
impacted all of us in some way, but what Catholic Charities is able to provide
to our community has never been needed more by so many,” said Rick Cronin,
Appeal 2020 chair. “Thank you to those Western New Yorkers who stepped up in a
big way to offer hope and help through their generous contributions, which are
invested right back into programs and services that are needed now more than
ever.”
The theme of Appeal 2020 was “Think of Me” and the patron
saint was St. Joseph. In 2019, more than $9.3 million was raised during the
Appeal.
“We are currently evaluating and understand we may need to
make some tough decisions in the future, but right now we are committed to
working very hard to do what we can to provide services in the face of these
difficult financial times as we expect the need to continue to grow in the
weeks and months ahead,” continued Deacon Schumer. “For nearly 100 years,
Catholic Charities has been and always will be here to support our neighbors in
need.”
Donors can continue to support the work of Catholic Charities
and the Fund for the Faith at www.ccwny.org/donation.
