The Local Sacrificial Giving Grant (LSGG) funds projects within the Diocese or in the United States while the International Sacrificial Giving Grant (ISGG) is given to support projects in other countries, with a link to the Diocese through dioceses and/or Religious Orders that have members in ministry here.
The LSGG typically supports the purchase of food, items of clothing, temporary relief for shelter issues and transportation needs of poor individuals. It is also used to support programs that educate, empower and promote human dignity. The grant funds are not used at all for administrative purposes or for the payment of salaries.
This year, the Diocese distributed a total of $104,000 in Local Sacrificial Giving Grants to 36 different applicants seeking to address directly the basic needs and necessities of life such as shelter, clothing, food, personal hygiene items, education and assistance to immigrants, and programs that promote pro-life and offer assistance to women with unplanned pregnancies.
There were applications that came from food pantry projects in some Catholic parishes. These include Needles’ Emergency Assistance fund in Topock, Arizona; Help Blythe in Blythe; Holy Family Food Pantry in Hesperia; Ministry of Christian Services in Moreno Valley; St. Anne’s Family Assistance Program in Running Springs; Feeding the Needy in San Bernardino Diocese project in Beaumont; Social Concerns Ministry of St. Bernadine Parish, San Bernardino; Food Pantry in St. Francis De Sales Parish, Riverside; Nutritious Food for the Poor: A Gift of Hope in St. Martha’s Parish, Murrieta; Martha’s Pantry in St. Ann’s Parish, Needles, Soup Kitchen at St. Joan of Arc Parish, Victorville; Monthly Peanut Butter for Families at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Riverside; Food Pantry at Sacred Heart Parish, Anza; Food Ministry at Christ the Good Shephard Parish, Adelanto; St. Elizabeth of Hungary Food Pantry, Desert Hot Springs; and AJ’s Kitchen/S.H.A.R.E Ministry at The Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Redlands.
The other 20 applications came from agencies that provide charitable assistance to the poor and the needy: Society of St. Vincent DePaul, Galilee Center Emergency Services, His Hands Ministry/Food Pantry in Ontario, Levantate y Anda in Chino, Pregnancy Center Operations in Crestline, Bridges to Homes Homelessness Ministry in Alta Loma, Call for Life Pregnancy Help Center in Victorville, Showers for Chino Project, Veronica’s Home of Mercy, The Good Shephard Project in San Bernardino, REACH Project in Rialto, Senior Home Safety Project in Twenty Nine Palms, Men’s Emergency Shelter in San Bernardino, Women’s Employment and Leadership Development in Riverside, Teaching English as-a-Second Language to migrant workers in the eastern Coachella Valley, Emergency Assistance to Families in Lake Elsinore, Community Mental Health Outreach Program in Riverside, Plaza Comunitaria project in San Bernardino, Isaiah’s Rock in Chino and Human Trafficking Prevention Program in Riverside.