Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Serving the Poor in a Transformative Way at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington

Nov 29, 2017 9:15 AM ET
Campaign: Connecting Business to Cause

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social service agency offering services in 21 counties and seven independent cities in northern and central Virginia that comprise the Diocese of Arlington. The mission of Catholic Charities is to serve the most vulnerable and poor of mind, body, and spirit by offering programs that help clients recognize their abilities, develop self-sufficiency, and maintain dignity. Regardless of faith, background, or circumstance, Catholic Charities helps ALL in need through a range of programs and services including:

  • Crisis Response (e.g. emergency financial assistance, thrift store, Car Ministry)
  • Dignity of Life (e.g. pregnancy and adoption support, prison ministry)
  • Health (e.g. family services counseling)
  • Newcomer Services (e.g. legal and education services, citizenship support)
  • Transformational Housing (e.g. transitional housing)

Operating and supporting people across the 21-county region of Virginia, with site locations in Loudoun County, Warren County, Prince William and Fredericksburg, and all across the beltway counties, the need is truly great:

  • 205,000 people are food insecure across the 21 counties and 7 cities of the diocese
  • 236,000 residents live below the poverty line of $24,600 for a family of four (7.3% of the population)
  • 246,000 lawful permanent residents who are eligible to naturalize live in the Washington, DC metro area with nearly all lacking qualified legal assistance and education to do so
  • 445,000 residents of Fairfax County speak a language other than English at home and nearly 67,000 report that they do not speak English “very well”

Working 365 days a year, CCDA takes people from poverty to sustained livelihood so that they can more fully contribute to and participate in society by:

  • Helping 100,000 people meet their basic needs each year
  • Collecting and distributing nearly 1,000,000 pounds of food to the hungry
  • Delivering 1,211 individuals and families with immigration legal consultation and representation
  • Welcoming 432 new American citizens who passed the naturalization exam and received citizenship instruction and legal consultation services.
  • Extending Emergency Assistance funds to nearly 1,200 people to avoid eviction and loss of utilities.

Each year, 110 professional staff members and more than 2,700 volunteers serve tens of thousands of individuals in need. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington’s five year goal is to significantly expand services throughout the 21-county region. We will continue to work cooperatively with a variety of non-profit agencies, parishes and churches, and business, community and youth groups to expand our service reach, and to reduce any duplication of these needed services. This commitment to go where the help is needed is a critical aspect of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Arlington and where your financial help is needed most.

Show Your Support through Workplace Giving

As a donor, you can support Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington by donating to them through your employer’s workplace giving program (CFC#24770 if you're a military or federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign). Payroll pledges made through employer-sponsored charitable giving programs represent a cost effective and near effortless way to support Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington and those they help.

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, click here. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington works through America’s Charities, a workplace giving federation, to promote its mission to employers' workplace giving programs nationwide, and America’s Charities has a portfolio of solutions designed to help large and small organizations give back to the causes they care about.

To learn more about Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington’s work, visit http://www.ccda.net.