The Diocese of Allentown has announced that 22 programs and agencies from each of the five counties of the Diocese have been awarded Poverty Relief Fund grants totaling more than $93,000. The money is allocated from the proceeds of the Poverty Relief Fund collection taken up in the 84 parishes of the diocese in the third weekend of November.

Applications for grants came from 25 agencies or programs and totaled more than $200,000, much more money than was collected.This year's recipients, their award and the program it funds are as follows:• $1,000 to the Divine Mercy Cenacle at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Orefield for its food pantry.• $2,000 to Sacred Heart Parish, Palmerton to fund a homeless shelter at the parish as part of the Family Promise Initiative in Carbon County.• $4,000 to St. Peter the Fisherman Parish, Lake Harmony for the parish food pantry.• $2,000 to the Divine Mercy Society at St. Joseph Parish, Jim Thorpe for rental assistance,• $1,250 to the Carbon County Prime Time Club at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Weatherly for food for the needy.The 2017 Poverty Relief Fund collection will be taken up in all churches in the Diocese on November 18 and 19.