Caritas Celebrates its 54 th year –
goes after 100,000 urban poor families
Also launches Segunda Mana and Job Walk

Caritas Manila (CM), the lead social services and development organization of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines celebrates it 54 th Founding Anniversary this October 27, 2007. This year, CM will celebrate the successful up scaling of its beneficiaries and volunteers.

In 2007, the number of CM Scholars has been successfully increased to 6,000. The Caritas charity clinics doubled from 13 to 26, and the volunteers serving, offering their time and talent to be beneficiaries and the programs of CM also increased from 3,000 to 5,000. In five years, CM aims to assist and declare beneficiaries 100,000 urban poor families in Pasay, Manila, Makati, Mandaluyong and San Juan.

The culminating activity would be a renewal and commissioning of its 5,000 strong volunteers at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City both as celebration and to thank the volunteers of Caritas. Most Rev. Bishop Teodoro Bacani, the Church’s leading socio-political advocator will give the mass during the culminating event. There will be weeklong social festivities as part of the anniversary based on the following schedule:

During the weeklong celebration, Caritas will also unveil to its volunteers its upcoming re-energized donations in-kind drive now dubbed as “Segunda Mana” as part of its Stewardship Program. The drive aims to further develop virtue of charity by encouraging people to help through means that they could easily afford by donating items they don’t need, they have too much of, or items they just want to dispose to help other people especially those in need.

CM will also launch its official partnership with leading on-line job site, JobsDB.com through JobWalk, a partnership that aims to provide parishes with computer and internet access and on-line link with hiring companies through JobsDB for people who are looking for jobs. This will be launched together with the holding of a Mega Job Fair at Caritas Manila sponsored by JobsDB and Radio Veritas 846.

Caritas Manila was founded in 1953 as Catholic Charities by the First Filipino Cardinal Rufino Santos. The late Jaime Cardinal Sin changed the name of from Catholic Charities to Caritas Manila and evolved CM’s efforts to help the poor and the needy into sustainable social services and development programs. Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, the present Chairman f CM, through Pondo ng Pinoy, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila, the parishes and the clergy, and with valuable assistance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is leading the effort of CM to up scale its programs and services.