Generosity of the Faithful Brings Hope to the Needy Across the Diocese

The 2024 annual Poverty Relief Fund Second Collection which supports individuals and families in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill Counties, raised over $90,000 in contributions.

The collection, which took place the weekend of November 23 and 24, 2024, led to twenty-four community service programs and organizations receiving grants to address needs, including hospice and medical care, food for the hungry, education to prevent elder abuse, clothing, shelter, counseling, and aid for disadvantaged families.

All applicants adhere to a clearly defined application and reporting process to qualify for a grant. Once the committee, consisting of pastors, laity, and staff, receives applications, they carefully review them and determine the distribution.

Thanks to the remarkable generosity of parishioners through our Diocese, the following grants will enable local non-profit agencies and parish charitable groups to provide vital services and support for the needy:

1. Divine Mercy Cenacle at St. Joseph the Worker, Orefield -- $1,000 to purchase food for their food pantry.
2. The Northern Lehigh Food Bank, Emerald -- $1,000 to help cover the expenses of the food bank including the provision of fresh and packaged foods to qualifying individuals in need of food assistance.
3. Central City Project, Allentown Central Catholic High School, Allentown -- $1,500 for providing groceries from the food pantry to low-income families and to support the student-run urban garden.
4. St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Paul Parish, Allentown -- $2,000 to provide weekly groceries for needy people in the community.
5. Outreach Group at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Allentown -- $2,000 to serve people experiencing homelessness through the Valor Program, provide holiday food bags and monthly food assistance to families, and expand their food bank.
6. Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Nazareth -- $2,500 to purchase new and gently used purses they will pack with personal necessities (i.e. soap, shampoo, toothpaste) to then donate to local women’s and help shelters and food banks.
7. Food Pantry, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative, Whitehall -- $3,000 to feed 1,000+ guests and provide them with resource materials.
8. Kids Clothing Closet at Holy Family Parish, Nazareth -- $3,480 to offer gently used children's clothing, baby gear, and diapers to families in need.
9. Family Support, Slater Family Network Foundation Inc., Bangor -- $5,000 to assist in the stabilization of a family that may otherwise not qualify for a mainstream grant.
10. Family Promise of the Lehigh Valley, Allentown -- $5,000 to support children and their families experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in the Lehigh Valley by providing temporary housing and crucial community support services.
11. Western Berks Free Medical Clinic, Robesonia -- $5,000 to provide free medical care to adults in Berks and surrounding counties who have no health insurance.
12. Elder Abuse Prevention, Schuylkill Elder Abuse Prevention Alliance, Pottsville -- $7,500 to provide services and financial assistance to older adults who are at risk of elder abuse and training for workers/volunteers on recognizing and reporting elder abuse.
13. John Paul II Center for Special Learning, Shillington, -- $8,000 to provide gift cards to purchase school uniforms for students who qualify for free and reduced lunches.
14. Monocacy Farms Inc. (formerly School Sisters of St. Francis), Bethlehem -- $9,906 to support their food insecurity and community garden programs.
15. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Notre Dame of Bethlehem -- $10,000 to provide funding to assist families in danger of being evicted.
16. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Saint Simon & Jude Parish, Bethlehem -- $10,000 to provide food for needy families through the food pantry and to address requests for rental and utility assistance.
17. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Bethlehem -- $10,000 to aid with rent, utilities, groceries, medications, and transportation for families and individuals in need.
18. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Saint Anne Parish, Bethlehem -- $10,000 to provide support with rent and basic utilities for families in need.
19. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Incarnation of Our Lord Parish, Bethlehem -- $10,000 to purchase refrigerators, freezers, and shelving for their food pantry.
20. Good Samaritan Society at Saint Theresa Parish, Hellertown -- $10,000 to help clients maintain housing and provide for utilities such as electricity, fuel, water, phone, and internet.
21. St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Peter and Paul Parish, Lehighton -- $10,000 to offer financial assistance to families for housing and utility payments.
22. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Holy Guardian Angels Parish, Reading -- $10,000 to provide 1,000 prepared lunches to local needy families, home shelters, and soup kitchens; to offer immediate and direct housing assistance for families; to support transitional housing for veterans; and to help children avoid removal from their homes by providing bedding.
23. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Saint Benedict Parish, Mohnton -- $10,000 to provide basic necessities of food, utility, heating fuel, rent, and life-skills education services for people experiencing poverty in Reading and the surrounding Berks County areas.
24. St. Vincent de Paul Society at Saint Joseph Panther Valley Parish, Summit Hill -- $10,000 to help provide rental and utility assistance to families in need and in danger of being evicted and having utilities shut off.

The annual Poverty Relief Collection, which takes place in all churches during the weekend before Thanksgiving, is a special opportunity for parishioners across the Diocese of Allentown to lovingly support community members in need of corporal assistance.