Freddie Mac, Freddie Mac Foundation, and Catholic Community Services Join to Help Katrina Survivors

Freddie Mac Foundation Gives $475,000 Grant to Catholic Community Services, Freddie Mac Employees to Adopt Hurricane Survivors

Washington, DC – Catholic Community Services of the Archdiocese of Washington (formerly Catholic Charities) has received $475,000 from the Freddie Mac Foundation to help survivors of Hurricane Katrina who relocated in the national capital area.

The money will pay for independent housing, groceries, utilities, and other household expenses for 33 families (about 100 people) for three months. Freddie Mac employees will also adopt the 33 families, and will donate and deliver goods and volunteer time to help the families get back on their feet.

“Katrina families have had their lives turned upside down. We are pleased to be working with Catholic Community Services to help these families who have come to our hometown. We look forward to easing their burden and strengthening our community through our donation of funds and time,” explained Ralph F. Boyd, executive vice president, community relations, Freddie Mac, and chairman, Freddie Mac Foundation.

The Freddie Mac Foundation grant will also provide Catholic Community Services with funds to hire additional social workers to help Hurricane Katrina survivors. Since Labor Day weekend, Catholic Community Services has provided a range of emergency services to hundreds of Hurricane Katrina survivors through its network of family resource centers in the District and surrounding Maryland counties.

“Catholic Community Services has already helped more than 400 people who came to our area after Hurricane Katrina,” according to Ed Orzechowski, President and CEO of Catholic Community Services. “This support will help us open doors to help and hope for Hurricane Katrina survivors, while maintaining our already busy workload supporting people in need in the Washington area,” Orzechowski said.

The Freddie Mac Foundation’s $475,000 grant, along with Freddie Mac’s volunteer commitment, is unique because these will ensure that Catholic Community Services has the money and manpower to deliver essential services to Hurricane Katrina survivors in the national capital area. This additional boost will provide a range of resources the hurricane survivors need to gain peace of mind and to begin to rebuild their lives.

The Freddie Mac Foundation, which is dedicated to opening doors of hope and opportunity for children and families, is a long-standing supporter of Catholic Community Services, including major financial backing of the charities’ parenting education program, recent capital campaign, and annual gala. The Foundation’s grant to Catholic Community Services’ relief efforts is part of the Freddie Mac Foundation’s and Freddie Mac’s combined $10 million hurricane relief commitment.

Catholic Community Services of the Archdiocese of Washington responds to the needs of individuals and families in need in Washington, DC and surrounding Maryland counties. Annually, 120,000 people receive needed support related to housing, food, legal, physical and mental health, and other services. This support is delivered by 94 programs in 88 geographically diverse locations with nearly 6,000 staff and volunteers. www.ccs-dc.org.

Created by Freddie Mac in 1991, the Freddie Mac Foundation is dedicated to opening the doors to hope and opportunity to children and their families. As the largest corporate funder in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested nearly $250 million in nonprofit organizations serving children and families.