Assistant Editor
Three months after the terrorist attacks in New York City, Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese continues to aid those struggling with the resulting financial hardships.
About 20 volunteers trained by diocesan Catholic Charities left this week for Brooklyn and Queens -- and more are still being recruited to assist in the massive downstate effort to dole out funds to those in need.
Joseph Buttigieg, Catholic Charities associate executive director, explained that families who lost breadwinners in the Sept. 11 attacks, people who worked at the WTC but who have lost their jobs, those living nearby who lost their homes, and people whose industries were affected by the disaster (for instance, the airlines) are all coming to the Brooklyn Diocese's Catholic Charities, asking for financial aid.
Last week, Catholic Charities there distributed $85,000 in just one day. The money comes from both Catholic Charities itself and a fund created by The New York Times for those affected by the attacks.
Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese has sent $300,000 to the Brooklyn Diocese; the money had been donated by Catholics through their parishes or in individual gifts. The volunteers from the Albany Diocese will be interviewing clients to find out about their financial situation and helping to distribute aid.
"We're still recruiting people," Mr. Buttigieg said. "Ultimately, we need 20 people a week for six weeks."
Some volunteers have agreed to stay in New York for a full week; others will travel there one day a week for six weeks. Mr. Buttigieg called this the "shakedown week" as Catholic Charities assembles the rest of the volunteers and confirms their work schedules. Those in the first wave will be able, through their experiences, to advise their successors.
The volunteers attended a training session last week at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Albany to learn how to disburse assistance using the system the Brooklyn Diocese has created. According to Brooklyn Catholic Charities staff, part of the reason so many volunteers are needed is that as clients tell their stories, they often break down emotionally, and the interviews can take as long as two-and-a-half hours.
(Editor's note: For information about volunteering, call Catholic Charities at 453-6650.)