High grocery and transportation costs have left people in tremendous need of food and nutrition services in order to get by; today, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children, are hungry. But Catholic Charities is committed to ensuring vulnerable populations have access to healthy food options — through food banks, pantries, schools, child and adult daycare centers, summer lunch programs, congregate dining settings, community farms and more.  

Each year, Catholic Charities agencies feed about 12 million hungry people; provide nearly 11 million meals to children through childcare, afterschool and summer lunch programs; and distribute food at almost 2,500 food sites and events across the country.

CCUSA is the official domestic relief agency of the U.S. Catholic Church. When natural and human-made disasters strike, CCUSA’s disaster response team and local member agency staff — who themselves often live in affected communities — combine their expertise to mobilize quickly, responding with aid on-site and following through during recovery.   

Our nationally recognized expertise has drawn thousands of staff members, volunteers of Catholic Charities agencies, FEMA and other responders to participate in our disaster case management training. In a given year, the Catholic Charities network provides around $100 million in aid to almost 500,000 people through approximately 70 emergency disaster grants.

Access to decent, affordable housing is a fundamental human right that is necessary to uphold the dignity of all people. CCUSA advocates for affordable housing policies nationally, and Catholic Charities agencies provide services ranging from emergency shelters to long-term housing.  

Help comes in many forms, including “wraparound” services (emotional, social and physical support) to reduce chronic homelessness and the conversion of church property into senior housing and permanent supportive housing. The Catholic Charities network provides roughly 2.8 million nights of emergency shelter per year and manages roughly 30,000 permanent housing units for families, seniors, veterans and other vulnerable people.

Catholic Charities workforce development programs encourage innovation. Building community alliances and developing social enterprise business models — whether culinary arts training programs, building trades certification, or interpretation and translation service programs — contribute to alleviating poverty.   

Employees of social enterprises make significant gains toward economic self-sufficiency and stability in housing and income while decreasing their reliance on government benefits. Catholic Charities social enterprises generate roughly $27 million in annual revenue and serve more than 20,000 people per year.   

The demand for behavioral health services far exceeds the nation’s capacity, and those with the fewest resources are often left with even fewer options for care.  

CCUSA supports agencies in promoting the comprehensive physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the most vulnerable among us. Catholic Charities agencies provide evidence-based, strengths-focused, accessible behavioral health services for anyone in need. More than 526,000 people receive behavioral health and wellness services from the Catholic Charities network in a typical year, and more than 70% of behavioral health clients achieve greater stability.

All persons have the fundamental human right to live in dignity and seek refuge when they experience unlivable conditions because of war, violence or economic instability in their home countries.

We serve vulnerable people in need — regardless of their faith or where they come from — not because they are Catholic, but because we are, and we call for a more humane immigration system. This work is a response to the Gospel mandate to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and welcome the stranger. For decades, federal, state and local governments have relied on Catholic Charities agencies to serve those most in need all around the country because of the exceptional, compassionate care Catholic Charities agencies provide.

Rooted in the belief that every person is made in God’s image, Catholic Charities responds to clients’ economic, social, cultural, personal and spiritual needs, from conception to natural death. Catholic Charities agencies provide community and parish-based services using a holistic approach of integral human development to help those served — especially those living in poverty — reach their full potential.

Person- and family-centered services build on individual strengths and respond to evolving life needs. Children, adults and families benefit from longstanding services offered by agencies throughout the network, including: pregnancy and parenting support; adoption and foster care; early childhood education; child, youth and family programs; aging services; services for persons with disabilities; parish social ministry; and criminal justice ministries.

CCUSA provides critical support to and advocates on behalf of our 168 member agencies located throughout the U.S. and its territories. Seeking to answer Pope Francis’ call to be the servant of the servants of God, the CCUSA staff devotes their time to enhancing and amplifying the noble work done by Catholic Charities agencies on the frontlines.

Throughout each year, CCUSA offers opportunities for Catholic Charities agency leaders and staff to come together in-person and virtually to share ideas, learn from one another and benefit from valuable career development resources. Through grants and in-kind donations, CCUSA provides critical funding to allow agencies to meet the needs of their communities and develop new, innovative programs. The national office also communicates on behalf of the network in the national press and advocates on behalf of our agencies at the highest levels of government.