---

When we see people who are in obvious need, our hearts go out to them. Maybe we reach out and help or ask if they need anything; maybe we say a prayer silently for them. Maybe they occupy our thoughts for some time after the encounter.

If you're like me, these encounters make you recognize our common humanity and want to reach out to do something.

We're called, through Catholic social teaching, to a radical kind of charity. It goes beyond the typical view of generosity; we are asked to consider that if we see a person suffering, that person is our brother or sister, and we should act as though we were seeing a family member in need.

Too often, suffering can be hidden from our view. Take hunger, for example: More than one in six New Yorkers in our community is facing hunger every day.

The number of people who go hungry is shocking to many of us. For people struggling to get out of poverty, there can be many reasons for cupboards going bare. High heating costs in the winter, transportation costs, rent, medical expenses and unexpected bills are often cited as needs that take priority over food.

At Catholic Charities, I hear stories of how job losses, benefit and wage cuts, and work reductions can push a family over the brink. Across the board, we are seeing more people coming to Catholic Charities for help when their other resources have run out.

Catholic Charities is committed to addressing the hunger problem for all people through programs like "Feeding Our Neighbors." We initiate this campaign in January, when feeding programs (soup kitchens, food pantries) are approaching their lowest food levels, temperatures are dropping, and our programs are overflowing with need.

Those who are hurt most by hunger are children and the elderly. Recent cuts in federal funding for food stamp programs have made the problem worse. Our food pantries and soup kitchens are experiencing a huge increase in users - up to 200 percent in some areas of our Diocese.

We need your help to make sure the economically vulnerable are not forgotten and the people in our community don't go to bed hungry. Feeding Our Neighbors is a statewide campaign to raise funds and awareness about hunger.

Thanks to partnerships with the Regional Food Bank, local grocery stores and restaurants, Catholic Charities can stretch dollars and help families who are food insecure. We can assist with basic needs so that they can focus on improving their situation without worrying about what they'll eat for dinner each night or what they'll give their children for breakfast the next day.

We may not see the face of hunger each day, but we have a way to help our brothers and sisters who are suffering. Learn more about Feeding our Neighbors at www.ccrcda.org.

(Mr. Colonno is CEO of Catholic Charities of the Albany Diocese.) [[In-content Ad]]

---