Above: Earthquake victims receive hygiene kits and tarps from Catholic Relief Service workers in Les Cayes, Haiti, Aug. 24, 2021. CRS staffers are operating under tarps at a parking lot near their operations center in Les Cayes following damage to their offices. (CNS photo/Godchild Regis, CRS)
In the months following Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in the Gulf Coast and caused extensive damage across several states, and the earthquake in Haiti, which further damaged the island nation’s infrastructure, the faithful in Eastern NC have responded to help meet those needs. Parishioners have donated nearly $220,000 in special disaster relief collections across the Diocese of Raleigh to support the humanitarian, long-term recovery and significant Church needs in these areas.
The funds collected in these appeals will be used to support the pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church as well as the efforts of Catholic Relief Services and/or Catholic Charities USA, the official relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they and their local agencies respond to immediate emergency needs and aid in long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts.
Said Bishop Zarama, “Know that I am grateful for the continued generosity of our people in recognizing and responding to the needs of others in Eastern North Carolina and around the world.”
For more information or to seek ways to provide further support in these or other areas, please visit Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh, which provides Disaster Services, Emergency Assistance, Immigration Assistance, Services in Support of the Family, and Parish and Community Engagement Assistance across Eastern NC, or Catholic Relief Services, which carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.