CCHD grant recipients will assist with education, work skills, budgeting

Responding to needs of social service agencies in the Diocese of Trenton, the diocesan Office of Catholic Social Services has announced the programs that will receive grants from the 2023 collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ domestic anti-poverty campaign, CCHD aims to support programs that uphold human dignity with a preferential option for the poor.

“In the Trenton Diocese, grants are awarded from those retained funds to support social service organizations helping to break the poverty cycle,” said Brenda Rascher, diocesan Office of Catholic Social Services’ executive director. “Those organizations considered for either a national or a local grant undergo a rigorous examination by a review committee to confirm eligibility and ensure their agreement with Catholic teaching.”

Seven applications for a grant from the 2023 CCHD funds were received in the Diocese, totaling $47,000.00 in requests.

“Grant funds available totaled only $25,000.00. Determining who we could give a grant to was difficult,” Rascher said. “So, as part of the decision-making process, the review committee focused on projects that provide a form of assistance that goes beyond ‘giving a fish’ to ‘teaching to fish.’ [These] projects reflect CCHD’s priority to support programs that offer a ‘hand up’ and not just a ‘hand out.’”

The 2024 awardees are as follows:
St. Dorothea Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, Eatontown: $5,000 – “Getting Ahead with Ed” is a program designed to assist students “whose continued enrollment in a college, university or skills training program is in peril because of financial challenges,” wrote Susan Cook, applicant for the St. Dorothea SVdP project. “In 2024, 32.9% of undergraduate students dropped out of college. Data gathered by the Public Broadcasting Service revealed that community colleges have the worst completion rates … the number one reason students have thought of leaving school is due to financial challenges … the inability to pay the cost of tuition, and also the cost of additional expenses.”

An estimated 10 students will be served by the grant to help offset the cost of course materials, tuition, technology expenses, transportation and food. The conference had paused funding the “Getting Ahead with Ed” program during the pandemic to focus on immediate basic needs of callers; the CCHD grant will allow them to resume allocating a percentage of fundraising proceeds to education assistance. “We can also reach out to another nearby SVdP in our district that has established a program to support education and desires to work collaboratively with us,” Cook said.

Collier Youth Services, Wickatunk: $10,000 – “Workforce Development” at Collier Youth Services will help to cover the stipends that students receive as part of the 2025 Collier School and Collier Transition Extended School Year (ESY). Its mission is to provide at-risk youth “a chance to grow toward their potential in an environment that promotes belonging, dignity and hope,” wrote Sister Debbie Drago, Collier Youth Services’ executive director. Activities and work include job-related competencies, soft skills, construction work, IT support and beautifying the campus.

“The primary goal of Collier’s ESY program is best summed up by the biblical quote: ‘If you give a man a fish, you have fed him for a day, but if you teach him to fish, you have fed him for a lifetime’ (Matt 4:19). All Collier’s programs are about empowerment,” Sister Drago continued. Students can receive a stipend of up to $100 per week for attendance, wearing proper attire, following directions, working on the assigned task respectfully, and more. “The stipends reinforce payment for a job well-done, and loss of payment if out sick and for poor performance,” she said. “This is an excellent teaching that really hits home.”

St. John Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, Lakehurst: $10,000 – “Dynamic Budgeting” involves educating the program recipients on the process of budgeting for expenses with a calendar, and revealing typically overlooked expenses as well. “The total for Income and Expenses enables the understanding of the steps necessary to gain control of their finances, which is the goal of budget training,” said Peter Pugielli, applicant for the St. John Conference of SVdP. “Sometimes this opens the awareness of the need for securing a part-time position, a higher-paying position or certification/education to provide a stable financial future. The aim of Dynamic Budgeting is to have the money saved before the expense is due.” It’s a way for them to understand how their money flows and to get more control of it by not only learning and doing their own budget, but also by visually seeing it on their own calendars. 
Previous SVdP neighbors considered for budgeting or use of Dynamic Budget funds were not those who received the agency’s assistance for emergency or temporary shelter. “Our goal of providing budget training and additional ‘hands up’ assistance to those moving from homelessness into a rental property is to begin their first steps out of poverty,” Pugielli said. “The most rewarding part … is the reaction of our neighbors when they learn of our assistance, such as tears, overwhelming gratitude and thank you notes.”