We expect that with the federal funding for programs that help provide a safety net for poor and working poor families like Sarah's at risk of dramatic reduction, we at Catholic Charities will face even more challenges in the year ahead as we continue our work to meet people's basic needs and help them obtain self-sufficiency.

To help us respond to this growing demand, Catholic Charities recently launched its annual Friends Feeding Families Brown Bag Campaign. Now in its fifth year, the campaign is designed to raise awareness and support within local communities and is focused on the challenges that people have feeding their families as the holidays and cold weather approach.

The goal of the campaign, which runs from October 1st through Dec. 31, is to raise $1,000,000 in donations and collect 5,000 bags of non-perishable food to stock Catholic Charities food pantries.

Our hope is that "We Have 100,000 Mouths to Feed: You Can Help," the theme of this year's Friends Feeding Families Campaign, will inspire people to make a real difference in the lives of their neighbors by not only donating food but also spreading the word about the very real challenges that people are struggling with on a daily basis.

Our faith calls us to respond to these needs, yet we cannot do this work alone: every bit of support we can gather allows Catholic Charities to honor our commitment to meet the needs of those seeking our help. To learn more about our Friends Feeding Family Campaign, please go to www.ccab.org.

Debbie Rambo is president of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston.