Originally reported in the Catholic Star Herald.
The Knights of Columbus is making a sizable donation to the Diocese of Camden to help its charitable works as demand grows because of the financial strain of the pandemic.
The Knights of Columbus Supreme Council is providing an emergency $25,000 contribution to the diocese’s Catholic Charities food banks and distribution programs.
“This contribution is made possible through the order’s newly-established Leave No Neighbor Behind Fund, which has provided more than $1 million in grants to food banks across the United States and Canada,” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson wrote in a letter to Bishop Dennis Sullivan on April 22.
“The Knights of Columbus founder, Father McGivney, would be proud of his sons living the Knights’ heart for charity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kevin Hickey, executive director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden. “Leave No Neighbor Behind is a reminder for all of us.”
Only two weeks earlier, on April 7, the fraternal organization announced plans to mobilize its 1.25 million members in the U.S. to help in over 20 cities in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
“In addition to confronting the threat of the COVID illness itself, we are facing a pandemic situation in which hunger is a growing concern for an increasing number of unemployed individuals and their families,” Anderson said in a statement at the time.
Additional support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is planned and the Knights are asking their members and the public to support their efforts by donating at www.kofc.org.
“As an organization, we have provided vital support at key moments including during the 1918 flu pandemic, during two world wars and after natural disasters. Our Leave No Neighbor Behind initiative continues that tradition, and we will work directly with food banks to help ensure that food reaches those most in need in communities from coast to coast,” Anderson said.
Knights also are being encouraged to donate blood, especially in response to current shortages amid the pandemic.
