The Chicago Bears are donating $200,000 to support communities impacted by severe storms and flooding throughout Chicago's south suburbs and Northwest Indiana, the team announced Saturday.The donation will provide $100,000 each to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Catholic Chariti es of the Diocese of Gary.The funding comes as Gary and other Northwest Indiana communities continue to recover from widespread power outages following severe storms earlier this month, leaving many residents to seek assistance to maintain their daily activities.Both organizations are working to address immediate and ongoing resident needs, including food, clothing, housing assistance and other resources, as many families remain without power or displaced from their homes. Krimberly Guajardo stands among tree branches on her property on the 3600 block of Burr Street in Gary on Monday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times "We deeply value and respect the longstanding philanthropic leadership of the Chicago Bears organization," said Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago CEO Sally Blount. "As one of our region's largest human services providers, we are honored to be entrusted with distributing this critical funding.”Blount noted that unexpected expenses can become a crisis for an individual or family already living on a limited budget. “This funding will make a big difference to families affected by the storm,” Blount said.Robert J. McClory, bishop of the Diocese of Gary, said the donation would support ongoing recovery efforts."Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary has been responding to local needs from day one. The support from the Bears and many other partners will help elevate efforts to reach the most vulnerable in our communities,” McClory said in a statement. “I encourage everyone to continue to pray, reach out to our neighbors who are suffering, and support efforts by Catholic Charities and others to assist those in need."Terry Seljan, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary, said the storms have “turned lives upside down for thousands of families, leaving them to face unexpected challenges and uncertainty.”"Our focus is on helping our neighbors access the support and resources they need to stabilize so they can begin to recover and move forward,” Seljan said. “We are incredibly grateful to the Chicago Bears organization for their generous support and for the care and concern they have shown for our Northwest Indiana community.”Cook and Lake County residents impacted by the storms can reach Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago at 312-655-7700 or visit catholiccharities.net for information about resources, locations and hours.Northwest Indiana residents in need of assistance can contact Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary at 219-886-3549, option 2, email [email protected] or visit catholic-charities.org.Donations to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago can also be made at bit.ly/CatholicCharities-Help, and donations to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary can be made at e.givesmart.com/events/QeW/. ...read more read less