Donations recover at controversial Catholic charity
http://www.religionnews.com/2013/06/28/donations-recover-at-controversial-catholic-anti-poverty-campaign/
David Gibson | Jun 28, 2013
Workers at Southwest Creations Collaborative in Albuquerque, N.M., learn delicate sewing skills, financial literacy and English, which is partially funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development The women-owned company charges 25 cents an hour for child care. RNS file photo by Ken Touchton.
(RNS) Fundraising for the flagship anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic bishops is slowly recovering after being battered by the recession and sharp attacks on its mission.
Officials at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development said that when 2012 collections are tallied after June 30, the program will match or slightly exceed last years mark of about $9.5 million. While that is still significantly down from the $12 million that the nationwide campaign was netting a few years ago, the upward trend is reassuring.
We are pretty optimistic, said Ralph McCloud, director of the CCHD. McCloud said he was still cautious, given the uncertain nature of the economy, but added that if things keep going the way they have been, we could see a bit of an upswing.
That would be good news for a program that in recent years has been known as much for controversy as it has for joining with other groups to fight endemic poverty the reason it was created by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1970.
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