More Than One in Ten Americans Live in Poverty

More than 1 in 10 Americans live in poverty. They exist on the margins and need humanitarian assistance such as food and nutrition, jobs training, shelter, counseling and integrated healthcare to survive. They are individuals living on our streets, families devastated by disasters or anyone who feels abandoned by society.

To address this urgent need this holiday season and beyond, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), one of the country’s largest social service providers, launched a national public service announcement (PSA) campaign designed to increase awareness for the life-sustaining work provided by its 167 member agencies in 3,500 locations across the United States.

Last year, Catholic Charities provided help and hope to more than 15 million people. This included the distribution of 20 million pounds of food, 44 million meals, and hundreds of pallets of water to disaster survivors. Catholic Charities also provided emergency housing for 179,417 people, resettlement for thousands of Afghan refugees, and workforce development and job training for more than 32,000 people.

Catholic Charities has served impoverished people in America for more than a century. The network prides itself on helping the poor by providing programs and services to all, regardless of their religious affiliation. CCUSA is the national member organization for the network.

The “Lift” campaign includes television spots for the holidays and year-round PSAs. The PSAs show the many different faces of poverty and the breadth and scope of the work of Catholic Charities with at-risk people. Information about CCUSA and the campaign is available at: ReducePoverty.org.

VIDEO PROVIDED BY: Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA)

FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION OR HARD COPY, PLEASE EMAIL: PSAS@multivu.com