July 5, 2026 | Hungry Children Need Our Help
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today and Forever~
Last year Columbia River Catholic had a fundraiser and food packing event for an organization called Cross Catholic Outreach (CCO). It was a big success, providing thousands of meals for hungry children in the Third World. We’re doing it again this year and hopefully annually going forward.
There are many well intentioned international organizations that “feed the poor,” all doing good to one degree or another, yet CCO is exceptional.
CCO has received the endorsement of more than 115 American Bishops and Cardinals, not only for the good they do in feeding hungry children in the third world, but for their fidelity to the Catholic faith. A great many charitable organizations do good in the main, but compromise on some aspects of the faith, making partnering with them problematic. CCO doesn’t compromise on any aspect of our Catholic faith, understanding that good ends do not have to compromise the means to those ends. This puts our consciences at ease.
Another reason why we partner to help hungry children through CCO is because over 94% of money donated actually goes to meals that reach children! If you know anything about charities that help people in need, 94% is an amazing rate of return. CCO is able to keep costs down because they work with Catholic volunteers from start to finish, from fundraising, to food packing, to delivery, to meals served. When we give to CCO, our money only goes to procuring the food and shipping.
Trying to help people in Third World countries is complicated by local corruption. Coordinating and working with local Catholics in those countries (bishops, priests, consecrated religious, and practicing Catholic laity) ensures that 100% of the food we package and send them reaches the children. There is corruption in every country (America anybody?) but because CCO works directly with local Catholics in those places of need, it is virtually corruption free.
Finally, participation. I’m not aware of any other international charity that feeds the poor that has the people who donated money actually pack the food as well (more on that below). Participating in helping others helps us grow in our walk with Jesus and His saints. It puts hands to God’s work—and a smile on one’s face. Packing food is something children can do too, so it gives them a chance to participate in this corporal work of mercy. That’s a value we want to instill in our children, the next generation of Christians.
Below is a guest letter from Ed Brands, a long-time parishioner who is spearheading our CCO effort this year. Please read it, pray, and discern what you can do to help the poorest of the poor.
May Almighty God Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Next weekend Columbia River Catholic is raising funds for a very fruitful and efficient food packing event. On Saturday, September 19, 2026, we are going to pack 120,000 nutritious meals for starving families around the world. Just over a year ago we packed 100,000 meals on two evenings and it was a truly fun and amazingly inspirational event. Everyone who participated had a huge smile on their face and in their heart knowing that they were making a huge difference for those in great need!
To make this happen, we are partnering with a very fruitful and efficient Catholic charity called Cross Catholic Outreach. We need to raise 30 cents for each meal to pay for the food and the shipping to get it to where it is desperately needed. That’s a total of $36,000 we need to raise next weekend. Cross Catholic Outreach will ship the food to us in bulk, and we will set up assembly lines to package, weigh, seal, and label the food. Cross Catholic Outreach provides us with all the materials and equipment we need to safely pack the food in bags, seal them, and pack them up in cases ready to ship overseas.
Cross Catholic Outreach is a super-efficient Catholic charity where over 94% of every dollar donated to them is used to get food, water, and shelter to the poorest of the poor around the world.
By supporting Cross Catholic Outreach we are doing so much more than just feeding starving children. Consider these additional benefits:
-Children can’t learn when they are starving-all they can think is, “Where is my next meal is going to come from and will I live to eat it?”
-Parents don’t have the energy to go out and earn money for their family if they are malnourished.
-The meals we pack will be shipped to wherever the greatest need is in September and will be distributed by Cross Catholic Outreach and their trusted partners in whatever country it ends up in. This prevents it from falling in the wrong hands as frequently happens in a lot of poor countries if adequate systems and precautions are not in place.
By supporting Cross Catholic Outreach, we are truly living out our faith in the way that Jesus asks us to. During Lent we heard the reading where Jesus asked Peter three times do you love me and each time Peter replies, “Yes Lord you know I love you” and Jesus tells him, “Feed my sheep” (Jn 21). We also heard the reading where Jesus is asked “Lord when did we feed you?” and he replies, “whatever you do for the least of my people that you do for me” (Mt 25:40)! Our Catholic Church repeatedly teaches that those who have much are meant to share it with those who have little (CCC 1033, 1397, 1435, 1825, 2053, 2405, 2443-2449, 2462).
Many of us can afford to provide 100 meals ($30) or 1000 meals ($300) some can do more, and I strongly encourage you to do this. While it is a small sacrifice for you, it is a huge gift of LIFE, LOVE, and HOPE for these families and your reward in heaven will be great! Not only that, I guarantee your generosity and LOVE will put a huge smile on Mary’s and Jesus’ faces.
To donate, first pray (JESUS) and then scan the QR code to the right or click on this link: https://ppay.co/Mwy8kfYTzg8 . Either way takes you to a page on our website specifically for our Columbia River Catholic Parish Family Food Packing Event. You can also access the link to our donation page on the home page of our website. Thank you in advance for your care for the poor!
Your support and prayers truly give these families hope. You are truly doing Christ’s work when you support our Food Packing Event, and it will help you to grow in holiness too. We are just collecting money now, late in August you will be able to sign up to help pack the food on September 19th.
Thank you and may God Bless You and Your family abundantly and often!!!
Ed Brands, Parishioner
