5 Ways to Give Back During Advent and Christmas

Advent is underway and the Christmas shopping season is upon us! Many will spend this time frantically looking for gifts to give to loved ones. Others will create wish lists of the things they want this year.

As Catholics, we believe this is a holy season and a time to remember those who are less fortunate, so we often look for special ways to pursue that goal.

Our inspiration for showing this compassion and mercy toward others was modeled for us 2,000 years ago when the Savior was born; a testimony of the love of God for us and this world. While others may pursue power and possessions, we know that the true riches in life are to be found in him, and our works of mercy are meant to show both our connection to that love and our obedience to his word.

At Cross Catholic Outreach, we have numerous ways to help your family celebrate the birth of Jesus through charitable giving. The top five are listed below.

Exchanging Christmas gifts with family and friends is a wondrous time because it reminds us of Christ’s birth — God’s miraculous gift to us!

Now you have the opportunity to Be Someone’s Miracle by selecting a gift to the poor from the Cross Catholic Outreach Christmas Catalog. This isn’t an ordinary retail catalog full of gadgets and gizmos for people who have everything. They are truly meaningful gifts for children and families in need that have difficulty obtaining even the basic necessities.

Just look through the catalog and choose a potentially lifesaving item.

A Box of Joy is a Christmas blessing that says, “God loves you, and so do I!”

This is a wonderful program that enables you and your family to team up with parishes, schools and organizations near you to demonstrate Christ’s compassion to poor children in developing countries. In 2019 alone, Box of Joy brought hope to 61,422 children in seven developing countries, providing them memorable Christmas gifts and a much-needed reminder of God’s love.

By sending a Box of Joy — filled with toys, clothing, school supplies, a rosary and the Story of Jesus — you have the opportunity to share your Catholic faith and provide a Christmas gift to a child who may never before have received one. Want to participate? Let us send a Box of Joy for you!

Last year, Cross Catholic Outreach shipped 31.3 million nutrient-rich Vitafood meals to ministry partners in developing countries.

3. Lifesaving Food​

Food is one of the most basic necessities of human life, yet one in sevenpeople are hungry. Approximately 815 million people are suffering from chronic undernourishment, and inadequate nutrition is a leading cause of death in children under five.

To address this global need, Cross Catholic Outreach provides millions of meals each year through a network of schools, orphanages, rescue centers, community-based missions and local partners around the world.

Now through the end of the year, you can double your impact with a gift of food from the Cross Catholic Outreach Christmas Catalog. Thanks to two generous donors, your donation of food will be matched, doubling your impact this Christmas!* What a wonderful blessing the gift of food brings, as it fights chronic hunger among the poor!

*Until midnight on December 31, any gift of food from the Christmas Catalog, up to $25,000, will be matched by generous benefactors.

With your help, Cross Catholic Outreach funds the construction of wells and water systems that save lives.

While many people in the developed world take clean drinking water for granted, an estimated 780 million people don’t have access to clean drinking water and 2.5 billion people do not have safe sanitation.

At Cross Catholic Outreach, we understand how clean and accessible water impacts a family’s health, education and economic progress. That’s why we seek to deliver safe water to poor communities. In 2019 alone, our donors helped us fund water and sanitation projects in 10 countries, impacting 43 communities. Water is a gift from God, and with your help, we can deliver this life-saving gift to where it’s needed most.

Donate to Provide Clean Water

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Gifts to greatest needs help support the lifesaving work of our ministry partners around the world.

5. Greatest Needs

Although we have made huge strides aiding the world’s poor, approximately 10% of the global population still lives in extreme poverty. Whenever our brothers and sisters lack basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, we have an obligation to help them. In fact, it is what the Lord commands.

Through collaborations with our ministry partners, Cross Catholic Outreach mobilizes the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. Give to greatest needs.

Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2023, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.