This November marks fifty years since the first national collection in support of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the U.S. Catholic bishops’ domestic anti-poverty program.
This year’s collection to support CCHD will be held in most parishes the weekend of November 21-22, on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. This national collection is the primary source of funding for CCHD’s community and economic development grants and education programs to foster hope in communities across the nation. Twenty-five percent of the funds collected remain in each diocese to support local anti-poverty projects.
“A half-century ago, the U.S. bishops had the prophetic vision of developing a program to empower low-income people as they participate in the decisions that affect their lives. We are excited to celebrate this important milestone, remember the accomplishments of the past 50 years of CCHD, and prepare the campaign to continue its good work into the future,” said Bishop David G. O’Connell, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles and chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. “Our goal is to work together to transform society into one which supports the flourishing of all our brothers and sisters.”
Projects supported by CCHD include expanding access to affordable housing, promoting access to education, developing worker-owned businesses, and reforming the criminal justice system. CCHD helps low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families, and communities and nurtures solidarity between people living in poverty and their neighbors.
Learn more about poverty in the United States at povertyusa.org and access fact sheets on poverty, a poverty map, and stories of hope from groups supported through the annual collection.
