Baltimore-area groups awarded $356,000 in CCHD grants, speak of togetherness

A theme of togetherness resounded within the diverse groups receiving grants at the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s annual Catholic Campaign for Human Developmental awards luncheon Aug. 10 at St. Bernardine Church in West Baltimore.

Speakers from the Baltimore CCHD committee, Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., and the eight organizations receiving grants all touched on the need to work collectively to achieve their goals of ending systemic poverty and racism in their communities.

“We can’t live in silos. We have to work together to connect communities,” said Ronald Miles, with the RJY Chick Webb Council of East Baltimore, a group receiving its first CCHD grant.

“Together we can make a difference,” said Zo Tum Hmung, executive director of CHIN Association of Maryland.

CCHD Diocesan Director Monsignor Richard J. Bozzelli noted that Baltimore was “blessed” with a diversity of groups receiving more than a quarter-million dollars in grants, and said the local committee is always looking to expand its reach beyond the immediate city area.

Bishop Lewandowski, the archdiocese’s urban vicar, echoed the theme in his opening remarks and blessing. “When you get diverse people together, great things can happen,” he said.

CCHD is the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. It has a complementary mission of educating on poverty and its causes.

CCHD’s funds primarily come from a national collection each November. The funds collected locally go to the national CCHD office and then are distributed as grants to regional committees throughout the nation. 

This year’s Baltimore archdiocesan collection brought in $127,000. However, the Baltimore CCHD committee’s groups were awarded $356,000 in national and local grants.

Some CCHD-funded projects help to create jobs, improve neighborhoods and build affordable housing. Each grant provides low-income people with the means to change the conditions that make poverty prevalent. To receive a grant, projects must affect institutional change; efforts must benefit a poverty group; members of the poverty group must have the dominant voice in the organization; and the organization must support the development of ongoing leadership and financial self-sufficiency plans.

This year’s national grant recipients included: 

• Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT), $36,000 – The CCHD funds for ACT’s first national grant will “mainly be used to pay for the time of a bilingual organizer who would make it a priority to develop and strengthen ties to the Spanish-speaking communities of the county.”
• BRIDGE Maryland, $65,000 – This grant will enable BRIDGE to continue its leadership training to strengthen congregations to promote criminal justice reforms that address unjust conditions for incarcerated persons, advance legislative efforts and train youth leaders. 
• Charm City Land Trusts, $50,000 – This economic development grant will assist CLT in a neighborhood redevelopment project by providing funds to hire a full-time staff person and continuing work on logistical needs to assist in strategic planning for growth and sustainability.
• CHIN Association of Maryland, $50,000 – The grant aids CHIN’s efforts to increase its fundraising and efforts to improve the protections offered to immigrants, provide continuing education and job training, and conduct research on refugee issues. 
• Drink at the Well, $50,000 – This economic development grant will enable this self-help group/worker cooperative to support its social enterprise, “Hon’s Honey,” hire staff, purchase equipment and enhance beekeeping programming and education. 
• People Acting Together in Howard County (PATH), $50,000 – This grant enables PATH to continue to organize residents in high-poverty areas of Howard County and conduct non-partisan “Get Out the Vote” efforts. 
• South Baltimore Community Land Trust, $50,000 – The economic development grant will be used to develop housing units in Cherry Hill, Baltimore, and continue SBCLT’s organizational development in its plan to build generational wealth and stabilize and revitalize the community. 

This year’s local grant went to:

• RJY Chick Webb Council, $5,000 – This is RJY Chick Webb Council’s first CCHD local grant. The goal of RJY Chick Webb Council is to “develop a coalition consisting of a majority of low-income residents along with businesses and institutions.” The council’s goal is to educate the neighborhood on the rich history of the community. They will use the CCHD funds to hold a community-wide event to assist in this goal. 

The Baltimore Archdiocese CCHD Committee is made up of 11 volunteers, who meet once a month, to shepherd organizations through the grant application process, led by Chairwoman Marge Trenkle. They will host an in-person and virtual workshop Sept. 24, noon, at St. Bernardine to instruct groups on how to apply for grants. Visit cchdbaltimore.com for details or email cchd@cchdbaltimore.org.

This year’s CCHD collection will be held in Baltimore-area parishes the weekend of Nov. 19-20. The Baltimore committee also will hold its annual social ministry convocation Feb. 25 at Mercy High School.

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

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