The Diocese of Allentown has announced that 18 programs and agencies from around the diocese have been awarded Poverty Relief Fund grants totaling just more than $97,000. The money is allocated from the proceeds of the Poverty Relief Fund collection taken in the 84 parishes of the diocese on the third weekend of November.
Applications for the grants totaled more than $117,000, more money than was received in the collection.
This year’s recipients, their award and the programs it funds are as follows:
- $4,000 to Allentown Central Catholic High School for an urban garden and community dinners to assist the poor in Allentown.
- $4,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Benedict Parish in Mohnton for food, rental and utility assistance and life skills education in the Reading area.
- $10,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Joseph Parish in Coopersburg for rental and mortgage assistance, utilities and car repairs.
- $10,000 to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Allentown for counseling services at four high schools in the diocese.
- $10,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Anne Parish, Bethlehem for rental and utility assistance.
- $10,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Notre Dame of Bethlehem Parish for rental, utility and food assistance.
- $10,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Joseph Parish Summit Hill for community dinners, utility relief, a community garden, clothing and household item support.
- $2,000 to the Divine Mercy Cenacle at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Orefield to provide boxes of food and gift cards.
- $1,000 to Sacred Heart Church, Palmerton to operate a homeless shelter as part of the Family Promise Initiative in Carbon County.
- $2,000 to the Outreach Group at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Allentown for families in crisis.
- $5,000 to the Divine Mercy Society at St. Joseph Parish, Jim Thorpe for help with heating fuel, car insurance, utilities, car repairs, gas, emergency food and shelter.
- $2,000 to the Food Pantry at St. Peter the Fisherman Parish, Lake Harmony for food.
- $500 to St. Mary Parish, Kutztown to support an ecumenical effort known as the potato project.
- $2,500 to Mary’s Shelter for food, clothing and utilities for the pregnant, homeless women they serve in Reading and Bethlehem.
- $7,244 to the School Sister of St. Francis, Bethlehem for equipment for their farm project which provides vegetables and food for area food pantries.
- $3,000 to Stephen’s Place, Bethlehem for recreation activities, life skills and counseling at the transitional housing program for male inmates.
- $4,000 for the Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative through St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish for food for their summer program.
- $10,000 for Clare of Assisi House, Reading which provides transitional residential services and life skills training for women.
The 2018 Poverty Relief Fund collection will be taken up at all the churches in the Diocese of Allentown on November 17 and 18.
