Dear Pastors & Pastoral Coordinators:

Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is collecting financial donations to help communities along the Gulf Coast recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Gustav. Donations will be used to fund local Catholic Charities agencies’ emergency and long-term humanitarian relief efforts.

Catholic Charities initial recovery work will focus on directing critical resources and supplies to hurricane victims. Local Catholic Charities plan to open community resource sites throughout the impacted region where families can access food, water, toiletries, cleanup supplies, and other resources provided by partner agencies.

In addition, response teams will fan out across the region to make damage assessments and identify communities’ unmet needs. These assessments will help Catholic Charities determine how best to tailor their response efforts in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Donations to Catholic Charities USA’s hurricane relief effort can be made in three ways:

1. Call (800) 919-9338 to make a credit card donation.

2. Visit the following website to make a credit card donation: http://www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org

3. Send checks to:

Catholic Charities USA
2008 Hurricanes
PO Box 17066 Baltimore, MD 21297-1066

CCUSA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church’s social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.

Thank you for your kind attention to this important notice. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Michael Stone

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Michael Stone
Director, Office of Justice & Peace
Catholic Diocese of Richmond
7800 Carousel Lane Richmond, VA 23294-4201
Phone: (804) 622-5125 or
               (804) 359-5661, ext. 125
Fax: (804) 358-9159
Web: http://www.richmonddiocese.org/ojp/

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