Catholic Charities sees rush of giving

Just a week ago, Catholic Charities’ annual Christmas Collection had a long way to go. After a month of fundraising, the collection was still $300,000 short of its $675,000 goal.

How quickly things changed.

On Wednesday, the agency announced it not only made up for lost time, it also set a record by raising $681,000 – the most ever collected in the Christmas Collection’s 64-year history.

“It’s a pleasant gift of faith,” said Rob McCann, executive director of Catholic Charities, the Inland Northwest’s largest private charity.

Between Dec. 22 and Jan. 5, the non-profit received $307,000 – “a testament to the generosity of the community of Eastern Washington as they exemplify the true miracle of Christmas,” said McCann.

So far, about 4,000 people have given to this year’s collection. The average gift amount has been about $138, another all-time high.

A significant number of donations came from two Spokane churches: Parishioners at St. Thomas More on the north side donated $47,948 while those at Our Lady of Fatima on the South Hill gave $44,259.

About $122,000 – nearly 18 percent of the total – came from non-Catholics or people who are not affiliated with an area parish, according to McCann.

Since 1912, Catholic Charities in Spokane has served thousands of low-income and vulnerable people in Eastern Washington regardless of religious, social or economic background. Its annual Christmas Collection is the agency’s biggest fundraiser and a major source of income for 15 programs that help 44,000 people every year.

Separately incorporated from the Diocese of Spokane, Catholic Charities receives no funding from the Annual Catholic Appeal. All the funds donated to the Christmas Collection will help the needy, McCann and others have repeatedly emphasized. It will not be used to pay attorneys or other costs of the diocese’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Until this week, McCann and others at the agency were worried. The collection’s Dec. 21 total of $374,157 – the latest figure available at the time – showed a serious shortfall.

“What began with a slow start has been transformed into an incredible demonstration of the power of faith,” said McCann. “Each year we have faith that the Christmas Collection will raise all the private funds we will need for the next year. This year, our faith has once again been confirmed.”

In 2004, about 4,435 people donated a total of $592,448 – the only time in recent years when the Christmas Collection did not reach its goal.

Contributions to this year’s collection continue to trickle in, said McCann.