The Mission of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey is to provide specified human services to the poor and disadvantaged, to promote social justice, peace, human dignity, self-determination and self-sufficiency in accordance with the Gospel and Catholic Social Justice Teachings and to cooperate with other individuals and groups of goodwill to strengthen our communities.

Bishop Daniel E. Garcia, Chairman
Martina O’Sullivan, President
Paul Gutierrez, Vice-President
Cynthia Zoller Silver, Board Secretary
Clancy D’Angelo, Chief Financial Officer
Board Members

Maria Anderson
Rev. Fredy Calvario
Joseph Glunz, Sr.
Christopher E. Panetta
Chris Haupt
Melanie Nicora
Deacon Hugo Patino
Larry Sage
Laura Segura
Rev. Jerry McCormick, Honorary Board Member

Ana Ventura Phares, Executive Director

Aurelio Salazar Jr., Director of Family Supportive Services

Jorge Sifuentes, Director of Immigration & Citizenship

Angela Di Novella, Development Director

Allen Ganaden, Executive Administrator

The 2013 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the sobering reality of too many Americans struggling to provide for their families.

  • 45.3 million people live in poverty – 14.5% of the U.S. population.
  • The income poverty threshold to be considered for benefits is $23,834 for a family of four.
  • 14.7 million children live in poverty  – 19.9 percent of all children in the U.S. under the age of 18.
  • 27.2% of African Americans in the U.S. and 23.5% of U.S. Hispanics live in poverty.

Other official poverty numbers are available from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, these statistics don’t tell the whole story.

Catholic Charities believes that the current standard for measuring poverty and establishing eligibility criteria for poverty relief services are fundamentally flawed and outdated.  These traditional measures are not inclusive of the real need, and ignore the reality that every day nearly 30 million Americans are at risk of falling into poverty.  Catholic Charities encourages the use of a broader set of indicators beyond the traditional measures that more holistically assess human well-being in the United States.

Founded in 1984...

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey, is a faith-based non-profit social service agency providing aid to individuals and families in the four central coast counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Luis Obispo.

We are motivated by our mission to assist individuals and families of all backgrounds and beliefs providing them with tools, training and resources to help meet basic necessities for life. In addition, we provide information and referrals to social service agencies in each community we serve. Our three core areas of service are Tattoo Removal, Immigration and Citizenship and Family Supportive Services. We serve over 20,000 individuals a year.

Catholic Charities of California

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Monterey is a member of Catholic Charities of California, Inc., a statewide organization representing the twelve local Catholic Charities Agencies in the state. More information is available at www.CatholicCharitiesCA.org.