Dear Friends:

For those of you who know us well, I say thank you for your friendship and support in 2012. For those just getting to know us, I invite to visit this site often.

As we start the year 2013 I would like to suggest for your consideration and action four easy things you can do to support us in 2013. They are:

1. Mark down right now the date for the 2013 Caritas Gala on your calendar whether that be on your computer, a pocket calendar, a desk calendar or planner or the calendar hanging on the wall at home or your office. The date is booked at the Birchwood Manor for Saturday November 2, 2013. In January 2013 we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Catholic Charities in our Diocese so the 2013 Caritas Gala will be extra special. So please reserve that date (November 2, 2013) now on your calendar, plan to attend and even invite some friends and business associates. Also, please let family members know of your plans in hopes they will avoid planning any gatherings on that date. As a regular Caritas Gala attendee I can tell you that the Caritas Gala puts the fun in Fund raising.
   
   
2. Support our Catholic Charities Clothes Box Donation Program by donating your own gently used clothes and by encouraging others to do the same. In the first 12 months of operation the program netted over $150,000 for Catholic Charities and has benefitted all four agencies. We expect to increase the productivity of the existing 40 plus boxes placed in parishes of our Diocese and add a few more sites, which will significantly increase that bottom line. Very likely when you get new clothes that likely means old clothes will be retired. So give them to us - please.
   
   
   • Click here to view a flier that lists the location of existing boxes. Perhaps there is a box in your own parish. If not there is likely a parish nearby to you with a box.
   • Please tell family and friends of the clothing Donation boxes. Print out copies of the flier listing the site locations and pass them out.
   • If you are on Facebook or you tweet, put it on Facebook and tweet your friends and family about it.
     
     
3. Help support our Car Donation program and remember it is not just cars. We can take buses, trucks, vans, RVs, boats, even flying machines and they do not necessarily have to be running. It is easy and painless to do so. The donor can do it online by clicking the "Donate Your Car" box on the left side of this screen or call our toll free "Car Donation" number at 1-855-670-4483. Our Car Donation staff makes it easy, arranges convenient pick-ups (including free towing), all the paperwork, and providing of the tax donation letter.
   Visibility and awareness of the program are essential to its success. If people know about it, they will donate their vehicles and tell their friends about the program. So we need to get the word out again and again. At this time our "Car Donation Ad" appears on over 70 web sites (our own agencies, parishes, schools, Knights of Columbus Councils, vendors and more). We currently are receiving 8 to 10 vehicles each month. You can help support this program in any or all of the following ways:
   
   
   • Donate a vehicle if you have one.
   • Click the bolded words "the flier " to download our car donation flier and email it to your friends with a message from you encouraging them to do the same. If you have access to store front windows or business bulletin boards at work, perhaps where you buy groceries, your barber shop, your beauty parlor, ask the owner to display the flier.
   • Call me or email me and I can give you a supply of business cards which you can distribute publicizing the Car Donation program jduffy@patersondiocese.org 973-777-8818 ext 278.
   • Put a notice on your Facebook page or tweet about it if you do such things and encourage your electronic contacts to do the same.
     
     
4. Help raise money for Catholic Charities each time you purchase something online. More and more people shop from the convenience of their homes avoiding the hassle of finding parking and dealing with lines at the store. At no cost to you, each time you shop online you can help raise money for our charitable works by signing up for Socialvest, our online shopping partner. For more information or to sign up for Socialvest click on the Socialvest logo to the left and follow the prompts.

Many, many thanks!!!

Joseph F. Duffy

President, Catholic Charities
jduffy@patersondiocese.org

phone: (973) 777-8818 ext. 278
web: http://www.catholicharities.org