Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

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

Dec 18, 2018 1:05 PM 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 such as:

  • Emergency financial assistance to help clients avoid eviction or loss of utilities;
  • No-cost basic medical care at the Mother of Mercy Free Medical Clinic;
  • Educational offerings in workforce development, U.S. Citizenship, and English;
  • Adoption services including child placement, and support for birthmothers and adoptive parents; and
  • Community reintegration that provides housing and mentoring for ex-offenders.

The need is truly great for supportive and safety-net services inside the Beltway and throughout Catholic Charities’ 6,500 square mile service area.  Consider:

  • 196,200 people are food insecure
  • 222,500 (7.4%) residents live in poverty earning below $25,100 for a family of four
  • 288,700 (9.4%) residents are uninsured including almost 40,000 children
  • 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, Catholic Charities takes people from poverty to sustained livelihood so that they can more fully contribute to and participate in society by:

  • Collecting and distributing more than 1,160,000 pounds of food to the hungry.
  • Extending Emergency Assistance funds to help 2,735 people avoid eviction and loss of utilities.
  • Delivering 1,378 individuals and families with immigration legal consultation and representation.
  • Providing basic medical care to nearly 600 patients.
  • Helping thousands more across our 20 programs and services.

Each year, 120 professional staff members and more than 2,600 volunteers serve tens of thousands of individuals in need.  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.  All gifts made to Catholic Charities stay with Catholic Charities to deliver services to those in need and provide the infrastructure to support our work.

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.