Head of relief group lauds area donations

Six hours after an earthquake hit Pakistan, CRS was on the scene.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Kenneth Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services, said that per-capita donations from the Diocese of Youngstown rank "right up there near the top."
And Youngstown-area donations via the Web site, www.catholicrelief.org, aren't even tallied in this figure since they are not logged by location.
Hackett, who was in town as keynote speaker for the Voice of Hope dinner Friday night at Leo's Ristorante and Banquet Center in Warren, met with a few press representatives in the late afternoon at the diocesan conference room, 225 Elm St.
The dinner was sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Youngstown.
At the dinner, awards were to be presented to Jean K. Rhodes of Salem and the Diocesan Criminal Justice Ministry Program, represented by Deacon James Harvey, and St. Paul Church, Canton.
"This has been an extraordinary year ... with the tsunami right after Christmas. January through June was intense. We [CRS] had to pull people all over the world for the tsunami," he said.
$170 million in donations
"The response was overwhelming," he said of worldwide donations for tsunami relief that totaled some $170 million. In 1984, the famine in Ethiopia brought $50 million in donations and was unparalleled at the time.
Hackett, who has been with CRS for 32 years and got his start in aid work with the Peace Corps, said he has never seen a year like this.
"We're blessed with good people. [You] kiss the husband or wife goodbye," he said, and noted that staff members take off to far-flung parts of the world.
The Catholic Bishops of the United States founded CRS in 1943 to assist the poor and disadvantaged outside the country. CRS operates on five continents and in more than 90 countries.
Hackett leads a team of five vice presidents and nine regional directors. Country representatives around the globe report on disasters, natural and man-made, to the regional directors, then aid is dispatched.
"The country representatives give assessments on what our church partners are doing and what CRS' involvement will be," he said. The regional director gets to the scene of the disaster and works out a plan of response.
Quick action
"CRS moved into the [Pakistan] earthquake site within six hours," he said, and made note that the organization works in tandem with local aid workers because of their knowledge of the terrain, ethnic groups and other factors. In Pakistan, the organization provided 4,500 tents to families affected by the earthquake.
The rash of worldwide disasters has drained CRS finances, however, Hackett said. "Our support will eventually come around and back us up."
He noted that CRS responds to the emergency first and then deals with paying the tab. "We need money, support, prayers and encouragement," he added.
Hackett said the CRS mission has evolved through the years. Though quick response to disasters to alleviate human suffering remains a mandate, the agency also has changed with the times.
"We empower people to be self-sufficient," he said, and referred to agriculture and environmental projects supported by CRS. The group also has a worldwide program dealing with HIV and AIDS.
Though CRS focuses on humanitarian concerns, Hackett said the agency has had to become security-conscious. "The threat of radical elements is real," he said.
An information sheet made available to the press detailed the CRS mantra of "helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty and promoting social justice."
linonis@vindy.com