The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) was recently recognized with a Humanitarian Award by People Organized for Westside Renewal (POWER), a community based organization in West Los Angeles.

POWER works with low-income communities and advocates for affordable housing, better schools, community safety, and engaged citizenship. In July the organization recognized the CCHD for philanthropic work that has been a consistent change-making force in promoting human welfare and social reform. POWER has been a recipient of national CCHD grants for their work in the community.

Chris Gabriele, executive director of POWER, presented the Humanitarian Award to Joan Harper, CCHD director for the Office of Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Sandy Mattingly-Paulen, the national grants staff for the CCHD in Washington, DC.

"I always feel it's a real honor to work in any way I can with CCHD funded groups," said Harper. "They are in the trenches, fighting the battles. They are doing the hard work of trying to organize and change life for people in the communities."

Founded in 1969, CCHD's pastoral strategy is to empower the poor through a methodology of participation and education for justice, leading toward solidarity between poor and non-poor based on the Church's biblical tradition, modern Catholic social teaching, and the pervasive presence of poverty in the United States.

The grants, economic development, and education for justice programs of the Campaign, implemented in collaboration with local dioceses, are supported by an annual collection in U.S. Catholic parishes.

"To have CCHD recognized by POWER, is not only is a personal note of thanks to our office and the national office and the work we do," added Harper, "but it is also an opportunity to bring to other people the importance of CCHD. It's another way to lift up and recognize that this campaign to end poverty is working and is alive and well."