World News
BP gives $1 million to Archdiocese of New Orleans for oil spill relief
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NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- As millions of gallons of oil from an offshore rig explosion fouled hundreds of square miles in the Gulf of Mexico and advanced toward the Louisiana coastline, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond thanked BP for $1 million in emergency relief funds. The grant will allow local church relief agencies to provide emergency food, financial and counseling assistance to needy fishing families. BP, which operated the oil platform that exploded April 20 and killed 11 workers, earmarked $750,000 to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans for direct assistance such as gift cards to local grocery stores, case management and counseling, and $250,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana for emergency food boxes. The grant was announced at a May 18 news conference outside the headquarters of St. Bernard Parish, a civil jurisdiction equivalent to a county. BP officials were hoping May 28 to contain the massive spill with a "top kill" procedure on the leaking pipe one mile underwater. Even if the plan was a permanent fix, the deposit of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico has developed into one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. In response to the catastrophe, Catholic Charities has opened five emergency centers at local churches to distribute the financial aid and offer counseling to fishing families. The $1 million grant will help fund outreach services for three months, and the program is likely to be extended if the impact of the oil spill grows.
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