Catholic Charities USA Receives Major Gift from Walmart Foundation

Funding will expand hunger relief in rural communities

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 16, 2011  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), among the nation's largest human services organizations working to reduce poverty in America, announced today the receipt of a $760,000 gift from the Walmart Foundation to fund expansion of hunger relief programs in rural communities at 12 local Catholic Charities agencies across the country.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081008/CCUSALOGO)

The donation will allow the Catholic Charities agencies to significantly increase the scope of their work to bring food to those living on the margins. The 12 agencies, who currently serve approximately 850,000 individuals each year, will be able to expand their services to reach more than 1.2 million individuals.  

"We are extremely grateful and appreciative of this most kind and very generous gift from The Walmart Foundation," said Rev. Larry Snyder, President of CCUSA. "People living in rural communities are often overlooked in addressing the challenge of hunger in the United States. While their challenges are often the same as those in urban communities, their geographic isolation makes their needs more difficult to respond to.  We thank and salute The Walmart Foundation for their recognition of this critical need."

Funding will allow agencies to open or expand food pantry and storage facilities closer to the rural communities in need, purchase refrigerated food trucks to more easily reach far-lying communities, implement client tracking and inter-organization communication strategies to better meet individuals' needs while reducing duplication of services, and purchase commercial refrigerators and freezers to provide a consistent source of healthy and fresh produce to those in need.

The agencies involved in this grant are: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Madison, WI; Catholic Charities of Gallup, Inc, New Mexico; Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs, Inc; Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi, Inc; Catholic Charities Maine; Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia; Catholic Social and Community Services, Inc. Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi; Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska; Catholic Charities of San Bernardino, California; Catholic Charities of West Virginia; Catholic Charities of Raleigh, North Carolina and Northern Valley Catholic Social Services – Tehama County, California.

About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit http://www.walmartfoundation.org.

Catholic Charities USA's members provide help and create hope for more than 10  million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, Catholic Charities agencies have worked to reduce poverty by providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from health care and job training to food and housing. In 2010, Catholic Charities USA celebrated its centennial anniversary.

SOURCE Catholic Charities USA