To date, the Diocese of Davenport has collected $171,380.73 from parishes, schools and personal donations throughout the diocese to donate to Catholic Relief Services for aid to victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. The diocese asked parishes to take up a second collection after Masses the weekend of Jan. 23-24 for the CRS effort.
More donations are anticipated, so The Catholic Messenger will continue to update readers about financial contributions to CRS for the Haiti relief effort.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) states that taxpayers who itemize deductions may claim donations to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti on their 2009 tax return. This special tax provision is available only for cash contributions made after Jan. 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010. For more information, visit the IRS Web site at: www.irs.gov.
