Diocese Withholds Annual Gift to Charity
The Diocese of Fresno will not make its annual contribution to a nonprofit group to aid the poor after the volatile stock market hurt the diocese’s investments, church leaders said.
The diocese usually gives $150,000 to Catholic Charities USA to buy food and help more than 75,000 people with medical, utility and rent bills from Bakersfield to Merced.
Catholic Charities also helps support immigration, refugees, senior citizens, health and youth services programs, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and a halfway house in Bakersfield.
Bishop John T. Steinbock said funds also have been cut for cathedral restoration, KNXT-TV, and capital improvements in poorer parishes.
Catholic Charities is seeking alternative funding, said Mary Kay Hackett, interim executive director.
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