BALTIMORE, April 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Catholic Charities of Baltimore is hosting a celebration in West Baltimore on May 6 from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., co-hosted by the St. Edward's Workforce Development Center, Catholic Charities Head Start of Baltimore City and several other programs. Titled "Unity in the Community," the event is focused on education, employment, public safety and access to healthy food, and will take place in the 2800 block of Lafayette St., adjacent to St. Edward Church on Poplar Grove St.

About 400 residents of the surrounding Mosher neighborhood in W. Baltimore are expected, and two blocks of Lafayette Street will be closed to traffic. The celebration will begin with a community service project at 11:00 a.m. to help clear the surrounding streets and sidewalks of trash and debris, followed by a cook-out and other activities. A live DJ will be on hand for music and dancing, and there will be games for children.

During the celebration, neighbors will have the opportunity to learn more about services available from a number of Catholic Charities programs, including Head Start, Safe Streets, Our Daily Bread Employment Center, St Edward's Workforce Development Center and the Community Connections Food Pantries. The pantries operate in partnership with several area churches: St. Cecilia, Immaculate Conception Baltimore, St. Edward, St. Gregory the Great, St. Peter Claver and St. Pius V.

Also participating in the event will be Health Care for the Homeless, Total Health Care, LifeBridge Health, Kaiser Permanente, the Baltimore City Office of Child Support and Homeless Person's Representation Project. Businesses represented at the celebration include TGI Friday's, Nestle, Coca Cola, Herr's and Sodexo.

"This fantastic event recognizes and celebrates the remarkable work being done throughout West Baltimore to improve the lives of our neighbors and to help bring greater opportunity to our neighborhoods," said Bill McCarthy, executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore. "We are committed to our partnership with the residents of West Baltimore, working together to create a Baltimore where each person has the chance to excel and thrive."

About Catholic Charities of Baltimore
Catholic Charities of Baltimore is Maryland's largest private provider of human services, offering assistance to children and families, people living in poverty, individuals with intellectual disabilities, immigrants and seniors without regard to religion, race or other circumstances. Inspired by the Gospel mandates to love, serve and teach, the more than 80 programs of Catholic Charities improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of Marylanders each year. Catholic Charities continues a legacy of charity and compassion that began with the establishment of the Catholic Church in Baltimore in 1789. For more information, please visit www.cc-md.org.

Catholic Charities has experts available to discuss a wide variety of topics, including poverty, homelessness, mental health, intellectual disabilities, immigration and issues related to aging.

Contact:  Bob Keenan
(443) 263-1929 or (202) 320-3632

SOURCE Catholic Charities of Baltimore