“We do have some new programs but our goal is also to provide more money to the agencies,” said Arthur Peters, ShareLife’s executive director. “There has been a greater demand from our agencies.”

Volunteers in more than 220 parishes across the archdiocese were busy making appeals for these sought-after donations, including Peters who spoke at 25 Masses in one weekend in the hopes of bringing their parish campaign off to a good start.

“At this point, the initial response is positive, but we have a long way to go,” he said.

As of The Register’s press deadline, parishes had reported a total of $2 million collected, although Peters expected the number to grow as not all of the parishes had submitted results.

Peters is passionate about the life-changing help that each donation can supply for those in need. A very touching story that reinforces his commitment is one of a mother of six children who suffered through years of spousal abuse, and according to a letter written by her children, “had remained silent in order to ensure our love for our father.” After child support stopped coming in, she had to raise and financially support her children on her own while dealing with the pain of her experience. She was referred to Catholic Family Services, one of the 33 agencies funded by ShareLife, where she learned how to protect herself and her children and received counselling. She also took part in CFS’s “Sistering Program” through which abuse survivors help people through the difficulties of their similar situations.

“This woman now has the courage to tell her story and she said that without the funding from ShareLife she would not have been able to afford the counselling services she needed,” Peters said.

Stories about how ShareLife funding has helped people abound. While visiting Camp Ozanam (formerly the Four Winds Boys Camp), a camp for underprivileged boys, Peters came across the story of a boy who, when asked asked where his luggage was, held up a bag of ketchup chips. He had only come with the clothes on his back and a snack. The camp, supported by funding from ShareLife, was able to provide him with clothing and necessary supplies for the week.

“You sit there and listen to some of the stories and say, ‘If we didn’t do this (raise money) these programs wouldn’t happen,’ ” Peters said.

The next ShareLife Sunday takes place May 2-3, and the final collection is June 6-7. For more information on ShareLife, see www.sharelife.org.