[NEWS] Pope Francis visit to Philly spurs intiatives to help poor, hungry, homeless

From Newsworks: 

Pope Francis will be in Philadelphia for two days this September. But a  group of homeless advocates is hoping to raise $1.5 million to make the impact of his visit extend far beyond those two days.

It's a fraction of the $45 million the World Meeting of Families is raising to cover the costs of the weeklong conference, capped off by a visit from the pontiff, but every dollar is precious to people such as Maria Guzman.

The widowed grandmother from Kensington used to sleep on strangers' front stoops and knock on doors, asking for food.

Eventually, she found help from Community Center at Visitation, an outreach organization run by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia where Guzman now serves as a volunteer.

"As I believe in God, I believe in angels and that for me means our community centers," she said. "If it wouldn't have been for that, I don't know where I'd be right now exactly or my grandson."