About Us

MISSION STATEMENTS

Croatian Relief Services: Croatian Relief Services provides emergency humanitarian assistance to the poorest of the poor in our world.

The World Around You: The World Around You is the branch of Croatian Relief Services which supports our orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. We offer a loving home, food, shelter, education, medical attention and so much more to our 47 orphaned and abandoned children.

HISTORY

Founding: Croatian Relief Services is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization that has been in operation since 1992. Fr. Giordano Belanich founded CRS to address the needs of the Croatian and Bosnian communities during the Balkan war. What began as a simple request for food, clothing, and medicine during a Sunday mass grew into the successful humanitarian organization, Croatian Relief Services, Inc.

The response from Fr. Giordano’s parishioners was overwhelming.  Supplies came pouring in. It soon became necessary to expand the operation. Fr. “Gio,” as he is called by friends, family, and parishoners, applied for 501(c)(3) status, and Croatian Relief Services became an official humanitarian aid organization. Croatian Relief Services soon received an anonymous donation which allowed for the purchase of a warehouse facility. Supplies and donations continued to pour in, and Croatian Relief Services continued to grow in its outreach. Dozens of containers of supplies were shipped to Croatia and Bosnia for the duration of the war and recovery efforts, improving the lives of tens of thousands of survivors and refugees.

Growth: Once the violence died down in the Balkans, Croatian Relief Services redirected its resources to help the victims of numerous natural disasters. From earthquakes in South America to the Tsunami in Southeast Asia, Croatian Relief Services continued its outreach. CRS began sending supplies to Haiti in 2007. Fr. Giordano quickly learned of Haiti’s dire state of affairs and decided to focus Croatian Relief’s efforts on the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Before long, a decision was made. Croatian Relief Services would open an orphanage. With the help of our generous donors, we were able to purchase two adjacent properties in the neighborhood of Bon Repos in 2009. In 2010, a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, turning the countries dire situation into desperation. Croatian Relief Services was needed now more than ever.

Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center: With the guidance of our Lord, and Fr. Giordano’s diligent efforts, the plans for the orphanage became a reality. Within a few short months of the earthquake, Croatian Relief Services was able to open the doors of the Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center. Dozens of orphaned and abandoned children were rescued. The CSCC has been running smoothly since 2010, and is currently home to 47 children. These children are given food, clothing, shelter, medical attention, and an education. They receive lots of love and affection from our nannies and volunteers, and they are given the opportunity to grow in a healthy, nurturing environment.

The World Around You (The WAY): Croatian Relief Services continues to aid communities throughout Haiti and throughout the world with the provision of emergency humanitarian supplies, but the vast majority of our attention is now focused on the orphanage in Bon Repos, Haiti. In accordance with this shift in attention, CRS has created a new fundraising campaign entitled, “The World Around You.” All proceeds of this campaign support the operational costs of the Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center. In the title of our new campaign, we seek to remind our supporters that the world does not end at the outskirts of our neighborhoods, cities, or even countries. There is much work to be done to help our brothers and sisters in need throughout the globe.

WE ARE IN CONSTANT NEED OF FOOD, CHILDREN’S CLOTHING, VITAMINS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION IN HAITI, AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

Donations can be dropped off at:
Croatian Relief Services
225 Anderson Ave.
Fairview, NJ 07022

Monetary Donations of cash, checks, or money order, can be mailed to:
Croatian Relief Services
P.O. Box 355
Fairview, NJ 07022

*Please do not mail to 225 Anderson Ave. Address.