Our Cornerstone Builders team headed out to Belle River, LA today to help the Diocese of Lafayette with sandbagging as the potential for flooding grows. This community is threatened with flooding due to the opening of the Morganza Spillway to prevent the Mississippi River from flooding Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Since May 1, more than 9,800 individuals affected by the oil spill have received emergency assistance  through Catholic Charities. 

In order to serve the affected communities we have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank,  local governments and state agencies (Dept of Social Services and Health and Hospitals) and other local non-profits such as United Way.  We are also very grateful to BP for its $1 million gift that has enabled us to expand our services.

By the numbers, through June 14, 2010:

• 9,819 people (3,283 families) have received emergency assistance from Catholic Charities;
• $185,500 in gift cards and/or food vouchers have been distributed to affected families;
• 1,600 emergency food boxes from Second Harvest Food Bank have been distributed through our oil spill centers, additional food has been distributed by Second Harvest through regular partner food pantries;
• 190 cans of baby formula have been distributed along with 102  boxes of diapers and 291 ½ packs of diapers;
• 1,535 people have received individual counseling and 58 have taken part in group counseling with Catholic Charities crisis counselors;
• $68,459 in direct assistance has been distributed to families.

Read the rest of this entry »

NEWS RELEASE:
May 18, 2010, New Orleans, LA – Today, BP America announced a combined $1 million donation to Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.  The donation will support emergency food assistance, direct financial aid and counseling for fishermen and their families in the affected coastal parishes.

The Catholic Church, through Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans and Second Harvest Food Bank has been on the ground since April 29 providing emergency food assistance, case management, counseling services and vouchers to fishermen and their families. 

In the past two weeks, they have served more than 1000 individuals and families and are experiencing a growth in need among the people.  Second Harvest Food Bank Member agencies have already experienced a 15 to 25 percent increase in the number of new people seeking emergency food assistance since May 1.

Read the rest of this entry »

Catholic Charities’ services for fishing communities affected by the oil spill in the Gulf will be expanded starting Wednesday, May 19. At this time, we will be providing case management and crisis counseling.

Mary Queen of Vietnam CDC
4626 Alcee Fortier Blvd, Suite E
New Orleans, LA 70129

Please call the Catholic Charities Care Line toll-free at (866) 891-2210 for more information or if you need help.

On Tuesday, May 11, Catholic Charities and our partners will open up an assistance site in St. Bernard Parish for fishermen and their families who are in need due to the oil spill in the Gulf.

Catholic Charities’ case managers, crisis counselors, DSS, DHH and the LA Workforce Commission will be located at the following only through May 14, 2010:

Ducros Library/Los Islenos Museum
1345-1357 Bayou Road
St. Bernard, LA

Starting May 17, Catholic Charities and our partners will be located at the following:

St. Bernard Catholic Church
2805 Bayou Road
St. Bernard, LA

If you or someone you know is in need of aid, please call the Catholic Charities Care Line toll-free at (866) 891-2210.

updated: May 12, 2010

If you need assistance due to the oil spill, please call the Catholic Charities Care Line toll-free at (866) 891-2210.

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Second Harvest Food Bank, United Way of Greater New Orleans, the LA Workforce Commission and the LA Dept. of Health & Human Services are offering food, crisis counseling, case management, employment assistance, and registration for food stamps & Medicaid at the following locations:

Plaquemines Parish

9 AM - 2 PM
St. Patrick Catholic Church
28698 Highway 23
Port Sulphur, LA 70083

9 AM – 2 PM
St. Thomas Catholic Church
17605 Highway 15
Pointe a la Hache, LA 70082

St. Bernard Parish

St. Bernard Community Center
1519 E. Judge Perez Drive
Chalmette, LA 70043
(504) 281-2627

Please click here for the latest information on the Catholic disaster response to the earthquake in Haiti, including the work of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans.

In addition to Catholic Relief Services, there are a number of religious communities working with people affected by the Port-Au-Prince earthquake in Haiti. Please contact either Catholic Relief Services or one of these religious communities if you would like to donate to a Haiti relief fund.

Jesuits Jesuit Refugee Services/USA Cindy Rice, Development Dir. 1016 16th Street NW, Suite 500 Washington, DC 20038 www.norprov.org Redemptorist Fathers Redemptorist Relief Fund for Haiti Redemptorist-Denver Province 1230 South Parker Rd Denver, CO 80231 www.redemptoristdenver.org Sisters of the Holy Cross (indicate funds are for Haiti) General Treasurer 905, Rue Basile-Moreau Saint-Laurent, Quebec H4L 4A1 Canada Dominican Sisters Solidarite Haiti Couvent des Dominicans 20 rue des Ayres 33082 Bordeaux Cedex France Vincentians Fr. Perry Henry, C.M. Provincial Haiti Mission (Western Province) 13663 Rider Trail North Earth City, MO 63045 (314) 344-1184 Salesians Salesians Disaster Relief P.O. Box 30 New Rochelle, NY 10802 www.salesianmissions.org (914) 633-8344 Religious of the Sacred Heart Sr. Judy Vollbrecht, RSCJ 1719 Napoleon Avenue New Orleans, LA 70115 (504) 899-6027 Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation Haiti Mission 4600 Elysian Fields Avenue New Orleans, LA 70122

Our sister agency that specifically responds to international disasters is Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Please visit their website to donate to victims of the disaster. You can also donate through calling 1-877-HELP-CRS or texting RELIEF to 30644.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans will hold a special second collection at all masses this weekend to benefit victims of the earthquake.