Since May 1, more than 7,800 individuals have received emergency assistance from the local Catholic Church through Catholic Charities.  By the numbers, through June 7, 2010:

• 7,803 people (2,369 families) have received emergency assistance from Catholic Charities;
• $140,600 in gift cards and/or food vouchers have been distributed to affected families;
• 952 emergency food boxes from Second Harvest Food Bank have been distributed;
• 177 cans of baby formula have been distributed along with 77 boxes of diapers and 186 ½ packs of diapers;
• 902 people have undergone mental health assessments; and
• 737 people have received individual counseling and 58 have taken part in group counseling with Catholic Charities crisis counselors.

Those wanting to help, can make donations  directly to Catholic Charities at www.ccano.org. 

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       Since May 1, more than 6200 individuals who have been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have received emergency assistance from the local Catholic Church through Catholic Charities.  By the numbers, through June 1, 2010:

• 6227 people (1883 families) have received emergency assistance from Catholic Charities;
• $102,900 in gift cards and/or food vouchers have been distributed to affected families;
• 845 emergency food boxes from Second Harvest Food Bank have been distributed;
• 173 cans of baby formula have been distributed along with 77 boxes of diapers and 186 ½ packs of diapers;
• 748 people have undergone mental health assessments; and
• 503 people have received individual counseling and 28 have taken part in group counseling with Catholic Charities crisis counselors.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OIL SPILL RELIEF WORK

 Since May 1, more than 4600 individuals have benefited from emergency assistance  through Catholic Charities, and, as oil comes ashore and more fishing waters are closed, the agency is looking at ways to increase service and provide for the communities.

Four emergency relief centers have been established where fishermen can  receive emergency food, case management, crisis counseling and other services: St. Bernard Catholic Church in St. Bernard, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Port Sulphur, St. Thomas Catholic Church in Point a la Hache and Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation in New Orleans East.   

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