Over 3.5 million dollars raised for Famine Relief Campaign: “Pray-Give-Speak Out”
Thursday, August 24 2017
On 7 June 2017 the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) coordinated and launched an ecumenical and interfaith appeal in response to the famines in South Sudan and the extreme food shortages in Yemen, northeast Nigeria and Somalia. The campaign entitled “Pray-Give-Speak Out” brought together three Canadian Catholic aid and development agencies to facilitate the collection of funds: the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace-Caritas Canada, Aid to the Church in Need Canada, and Canadian Jesuits International. This appeal was intended to dovetail with the Government of Canada’s fundraising program, the “Famine Relief Fund”, in which it would match 1:1 every donation made to a registered Canadian charity between March 17 and June 30.
A special documentary program entitled “When did we see you hungry? Church Organizations Respond to the Famine Crisis” dedicated to this CCCB-led effort will be broadcast by Salt + Light TV this Sunday evening, 27 August, at 8:00 p.m. The following individuals were participants in the panel:
- The Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton and President of the CCCB
- Mr. Luke Stocking, the Central Ontario animator for The Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
- Ms. Marie-Claude Lalonde, National Director of Aid to the Church in Need
- Ms. Jenny Cafiso, Director of Canadian Jesuits International
The most recent figures from each of three agencies involved in the fundraising campaign including the respective amounts eligible under the Government’s matching plan are as follows:
Aid to the Church in Need
Total funds raised as of August 2017: over $400,000
Total funds eligible for the Federal Government’s match campaign: $314, 590
Canadian Jesuits International
Total funds raised as of August 2017: $460,880
Total funds eligible for the Federal Government’s match campaign: $428,035
Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
Total funds raised as of August 2017: $2.85 million
Total funds eligible for the Federal Government’s match campaign: $1.3 million
The total amount raised is $3,710,880, of which $2,042,625 is eligible for the Federal Government’s match campaign. This means that the Catholic response represents 17.67% of the overall $21.3 million raised between March 17 and June 30.