(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – With Rhode Island's unemployment the highest in the nation, The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and publisher of Rhode Island Catholic, the second largest newspaper in the state, today announced a new weekly feature to connect unemployed Rhode Islanders with companies offering jobs.
Beginning in late January, Rhode Island Catholic will publish help wanted advertisements free of charge to help unemployed Rhode Islanders find a new job. The newspaper will also publish, free of charge, information from those who are seeking employment. The diocese will launch an outreach effort to area employers, chambers of commerce, human resources professionals and other agencies informing them of this cost-efficient opportunity.
"The Diocese of Providence, through Rhode Island Catholic, is pleased to offer free employment listings to assist Rhode Islanders affected by this ominous economy," said Bishop Tobin. "Rhode Island families and individuals face very difficult situations and choices, especially as we enter a new year filled with challenges. This is but one way the Catholic Church can help Rhode Islanders during these difficult times."
Each Thursday, the weekly newspaper will publish help wanted advertisements free of charge from local companies with open positions alongside information from Rhode Islanders seeking employment. The newspaper will also post the listings on its website each Saturday morning at www.thericatholic.com. As a courtesy, print subscribers will receive listings in the newspaper on the regular delivery days of Thursday and Friday.
Local businesses who would like to take advantage of this offer should call the newspaper or send an email to jobs@thericatholic.com with the following information: name of business, address, phone number, website, email address, preferred method to receive resumes, cover letters or applications, position title and brief description. Those seeking employment should call the newspaper or send an email to jobs@thericatholic.com with the following information: name, phone number, position sought and qualifications. Deadline for all submissions is 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
This is one of many efforts launched by the diocese to help Rhode Islanders cope with the current economy. Earlier this year, Bishop Tobin launched the 4th Annual Keep the Heat On campaign that provides heating assistance to those Rhode Islanders who have exhausted all other public and private forms of assistance. The Diocese also sponsored the Catholic Charity Fund RIPTIK Program this summer as gas prices exceeded $3.50 to help those in need of transportation to work, school, grocery stores and doctors appointments. Last week, the Bishop awarded $75,000 in Emergency Assistance Grants to local homeless shelters, meal sites and food pantries using funds donated by an anonymous donor.
The management of Rhode Island Catholic reserves the right to edit submissions for space and decline listings deemed inappropriate. All businesses that submit listings must have a physical address in Rhode Island, Massachusetts or Connecticut. To discourage fraudulent use of this free service, the newspaper cannot accept listings that contain post office box addresses or suspicious email addresses.
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