Philoptochos Turns 90 and Expands its Mission

“To help the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the widowed, those with disabilities and the victims of disasters…”

In 2014, the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society asked its chapters and stewards to join the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in supporting the historic construction of the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine – while still meeting the organization’s long-time fundamental mission to serve the needy among us.

It was a daunting challenge no doubt, but one that the 25,000 Philoptochos stewards across the United States embraced with faith, energy, and spirited dedication. Since that time, Philoptochos contributed $11,293,921 to brothers and sisters in need, emergencies across the globe and deserving institutions, causes and programs. The women of Philoptochos raised these funds through fundraising events and individual contributions, all the while inspiring their communities by their example of love for Christ and His message.

The following is a partial list of the charitable grants of nearly $10 million dollars during this period:

• Saint Basil Academy
• Social Services
• Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology
• Children’s Medical Fund
• Philanthropies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
• National Philoptochos Emergency Fund
• Aid to Greece & Cyprus

But that’s not all. As Philoptochos fulfilled its mission, one dollar at a time, their stewards also embraced a return to hands-on philanthropy. And so, while feeding more than 4,000,000 meals to the homeless and hungry, while offering much needed supplies to underserved schools across the United States, and while developing educational initiatives addressing serious problems faced by our communities, the stewards of Philoptochos also opened their hearts and contributed $1,665,000 to the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine.

For 89 years, the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society has offered generous and continuous assistance, love and faith wherever and whenever a need arises – not only to our local communities, metropolises and nation – but around the world, as well.

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society is the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and their  website is philoptochos.org