More than $500,000 raised for Iraqi Christians

By Susan Shroder
A fundraiser was held at St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon
EL CAJON — An event Wednesday night at St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon raised more than $500,000 for the Iraqi Christian Relief Fund.

Nearly 700 people attended the fundraiser, spokeswoman Mary Moran said.

The owners of A-1 Self Storage made a $250,000 matching grant, and more than $250,000 was raised from those who attended, she said.

Individual donations ranged from $15 to $20,000, Moran said, calling the response “tremendous.”

Bishop Sarhad Jammo of St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Diocese in El Cajon will personally deliver the donations in Iraq, Moran said. The money will be used to buy clothing, food, medicine, and other items for homeless Iraqi Christians.

Tens of thousands of Christian refugees have been forced from their homes as militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have torn through northern Iraq.

Most of San Diego County’s estimated 70,000 Iraqis are Chaldeans. Many reside in and around El Cajon.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/aug/28/iraqi-christian-relief-fund-chaldean-el-cajon/