when charity means it's on the House

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jan 10, 2008

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is celebrating the 1st anniversary of its campaign to cut the poverty level in half by 2020, and the the group reports that the early results have been good.

Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said that the response of the Catholic Charities network to the campaign has been tremendous, as more than 4,500 people and more than 380 organizations have endorsed the campaign, with more than 27,000 letters sent to members of Congress urging them to support legislation to help those living in poverty.

Aha. Then we're asking Congress to address the problem of poverty. That may be a logical option, from a political perspective. But Congress works with taxpayers' money, collected under penalty of law. Where does charity come into the picture?

Father Snyder says:

“This year will present some important opportunities for action, including asking those running for office to explain how they will work to cut poverty in this country.”

Fair enough. Good question to ask. Now, about that charity campaign...

Father Snyder also noted significant progress on a number of other key priorities that will continue to be at the center of legislative fights in 2008.

Legislative fights. I see. I'm just wondering about charitable efforts...

The efforts of Catholic Charities through the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America were recognized by government leaders. Father Snyder was invited to testify before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support on proposals for reducing poverty, and congressional anti-hunger leaders praised the work of Catholic Charities in fighting for more funding for food stamp programs. In addition, Catholic Charities was invited to be one of the panelists questioning presidential candidates on the needs of the poor in a CNN forum last June.

Let me rephrase my question.