On Thursday, Caritas director Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler and Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl asked for donations in Graz at the start of the in-house collection in Herrengasse. The motto of the 75th Caritas House Collection is “Because life is more expensive than ever. We help”.
The Caritas campaign officially starts on March 1st. Hundreds of volunteers from Styrian parishes will set out until the end of May and ask people at their front doors for donations for people in need in Styria. Persistently high prices, a crisis in the labor market, cuts in benefits: these are the reasons why people affected by poverty are currently under pressure from many sides.
“Because life is expensive”
This year, the Caritas in-house collection has the motto “Because life is more expensive than ever. We help.” “We now live in prosperity. We live in a country that is at peace, a country that offers security. And at the same time we notice that this security also has cracks, that this ‘We can do it together’ also has gaps,” says Caritas director Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler.
And further: “That people can’t cope, that they don’t have enough to pay their rent, to pay their electricity, to be able to afford food. And especially if there are now further cuts in the social sector, especially in social benefits, in social assistance here in Styria, then it affects people who were particularly affected by poverty before.”
One in eight people is at risk of poverty
In Styria, every eighth person is at risk of poverty – that corresponds to over 150,000 people. Last year around 610,000 euros were raised for Caritas projects. The donations were used, for example, to support the emergency sleeping centers or the Marienstüberl. Ten percent of the proceeds stay in the parishes.
The bishop of the Diocese of Graz-Seckau Wilhelm Krautwaschl says about the collection campaign: “I believe, on the one hand, that when I’m out and about and knock on the door, it means: I’m interested in you. And this interest that people show in one another is very important for our society. If you’re interested in one another, then you can’t help but be there for others.”
First collection campaign in 1951
The first collection campaign took place in 1951. Back then because of the massive hardship in Styria in the post-war period. What began in 1951 developed into the largest collection campaign in Styria.
The house collection adapted to the circumstances over time. In addition to material help, advice and support services became more important. The professionalization of the collection has also been accelerated, especially in the last 20 years. Digital donation channels, campaign motifs and media presence became more important.
The importance of this aid campaign has become more important than ever in recent years. The campaign runs until the end of May.
