Catholic Campaign for Human Development Collection

Support the Collection Nov. 19-20

The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) started the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) in 1970 to address the root causes of injustice and the social structures that perpetuate poverty in the United States. They realized that the church’s charitable services alone were not enough and that unless the structures change, poverty would continue.
 
Their insight led to CCHD’s mission of empowering those who are poor and in the margins of society to work on their own behalf to address social and economic inequities. This is done through funding non-profit organizations that enable low-income residents to find their voice and power as they work to bring about lasting social and economic change. CCHD’s motto is “helping people help themselves.” 
 
At the onset, the bishops established an annual nation-wide collection to raise funds that would be allocated to qualifying organizations. This collection is taken up each year in the Oakland Diocese. 
 
Since CCHD began, over $6.5 million in CCHD grants have been awarded to groups in the East Bay who work to bring about social and economic development among the poor and disenfranchised. This year alone, $150,000 was granted by CCHD to organizations across the diocese. All the donations from our annual collection and usually more are invested into East Bay communities.
 
Each organization receiving funds has been vetted to ensure that their work does not violate Church teaching.
 
Examples of local non-profit groups that have received CCHD funds include:

Monument Impact supports the low-income, predominately Latinx immigrant community in Central and East Contra Costa County to acquire the skills and relationships needed to address the institutional barriers that impact their economic and social development. It does this through leadership development and programs like their Day Labor Program that provide laborers with skills and confidence to get steady, better paying work and fair wages.

St. Mary’s Center serves low-income seniors and young children in West Oakland with outreach and direct support services such as three supportive housing sites, pre-school, counseling, food, recreational 
activities and emergency shelter. It also offers their Leadership Academy that provides seniors the skills to create a campaign to advocate for policies and funding to prevent homelessness and create affordable housing.

To see the entire list of organizations funded in recent years, please go to the diocesan CCHD website at https://CCHDEastBay.org/.

To view CCHD’s “Empower, Organize, Advocate” video (in English and Spanish) and to learn more about its history and mission please go to the website above.
 
To support this important work, please give to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Collection which will take place in our diocese the weekend of November 19-20. 

For those unable to donate at their parish, online contributions can be made at https://CCHDEastBay.org/.

To arrange for a speaker from a CCHD grantee for a parish group or faith formation class, to volunteer at a CCHD-funded organization, or for other questions, please contact the CCHD Diocesan Coordinator at mmckimmey@cceb.org or 510-768-3176.