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December 17, 2020KeyBank Announces Major Donation for Catholic Charities’ COVID Relief
As COVID-19 cases increase across the Capital Region, non-profits like Catholic Charities are seeing more and more people in need of support.
“People are in need right now,” said Vincent W. Colonno, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. “Our neighbors are coming to us for rental assistance, for domestic violence services and even for their next meal. It’s no secret that our resources are being stretched thin.”
KeyBank is stepping up with much-needed support. Recently, KeyBank announced a major donation of $20,000 to the organization’s COVID-19 Relief Fund, which is designated to support residents of the Albany Diocese who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns.
“We all realize the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the Capital Region, and we are committed to helping the region recover and move forward,” said Ruth Mahoney, Capital Region President, KeyBank. “We are proud to partner with Catholic Charities in support of their regional reach and impactful programming that continues to deliver life sustaining and life enhancing services to those that need it most during these times.”
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany is one of the largest non-profits in the region and is providing support and relief to residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through services that include rental assistance, domestic violence programs, nutritional support and overdose prevention.
Across these services need has increased:
- In the tri-county area (Albany/Schenectady/Rensselaer), requests for emergency and rental assistance are on the rise. In October, Catholic Charities provided $2,100 in emergency funding. They have distributed over $5,000 in December with two weeks remaining in the month.
- Catholic Charities’ domestic violence shelters are at high- or max-capacity with few exceptions. As COVID-19 cases increase, calls for assistance remain high.
- Catholic Charities has increased its food distributions tenfold– from one to 10 each month – to address food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
- The number of individuals accessing treatment for substance abuse and dependency through Catholic Charities each week has increased by 60% as people report relapsing in recent months due to increased stress, isolation and mental health needs.
“We’re experiencing a very high volume of need and our resources have remained largely unchanged,” said Colonno, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, “We’re thrilled to be working alongside KeyBank in our efforts to support the community through this difficult time. This donation will go a long way to help a furloughed worker pay rent, a person in recovery stay sober or a single parent keep food on the table and the heat running through the winter.”
To learn more about Catholic Charities’ COVID-19 relief efforts, visit www.ccrcda.org
