Responding with gifts large and small, 1,389 individuals donated $243,498 in support of 111 Catholic organizations throughout the 13-county Diocese of Erie.

With the theme Give Catholic on Giving Tuesday, #iGiveCatholic is an annual 24-hour online giving event uniting Catholics across the nation to raise as many charitable dollars as possible for Catholic parishes, schools and non-profit ministries. Catholics across northwest Pennsylvania were invited to join in and give to specific ministries. The St. Joseph School in Warren received more than $2,500 in gifts and a $500 cash prize sponsored by an anonymous donor. St. Joseph Church also won a $500 cash prize sponsored by ECCA Payroll+.

“The parish needs repairs to the industrial freezer which is used for the weekly soup kitchen ministry and the school is facing extra expenses due to COVID, so the prizes coupled with generous gifts from donors will go towards these important projects,” said Betsy Williams, parish pastoral associate and school advancement director.

The Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania facilitated #iGiveCatholic for the first time in 2019 when 561 donors gave a total of $92,843 to 67 organizations in the Diocese of Erie.

“The response to #iGiveCatholic in 2020 is uplifting for all of us near the end of a very difficult year,” said Lisa Louis, executive director of the Catholic Foundation. “The Catholic spirit and generosity in our region are humbling and inspiring. We are thrilled by the response to the #iGiveCatholic program.”

To offer incentive for the giving day, participating ministries were eligible to win cash prizes by attaining predetermined goals on the day of the event and during the advanced giving period. A cash prize pool of more than $20,000 was available through event sponsors and a generous anonymous donor dedicated to supporting the Catholic community.