Catholic Relief Services

I participated by phone in our spring CRS Board of Directors meeting held in Baltimore last week.  These meetings always leave me in awe at all that CRS does for people throughout the world. In particular, we were briefed on CRS’s work in Haiti as it meets the immediate needs of the people and helps them to rebuild for the long term.  Many other agencies give their proceeds directly to CRS, knowing that our organization is extremely efficient in getting their charitable dollars to work the hardest.  CRS monitors the overall efforts of all organizations, including the United States government, and serves as a conduit for many of them in getting help to the people where it is needed most.

Recently, a news program inaccurately portrayed CRS as not using the collected funds right away for the Haitian people.  What they did not say, and should have researched, is that CRS uses its own funds and those given to it by the United States and other charitable organizations to help the people in a strategic manner while at the same time seeing to emergency needs such as food, water, medicine and housing.  If CRS holds some money back, it is because they already have their own money and funds from other groups to provide immediate service and then they have reserves to assist with the rebuilding of the country, which will take decades.  I am very proud of what CRS does in our world as the charitable arm of the United States Bishops’ Conference.  Your generous contributions to CRS and being well used and are benefitting many, many people struggling with poverty and natural disasters.