Contact: Ben Peterson, PR Specialist, OCP, 503-460-5363

CLEVELAND, Dec. 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- The best in contemporary Catholic music gathered on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for "Rock Out Poverty," a benefit event for struggling families and individuals in the Cleveland area. Award-winning artists like Steve Angrisano, ValLimar Jansen and Matt Maher were among the many performers who contributed their talents for the concert. All the musicians who participated are affiliated with spiritandsong.com, OCP's contemporary music division.

"Times are tough and getting tougher, and people are feeling that pinch," said Sarah Hart, one of the popular artists who took the stage. "Jesus said the greatest commandment after loving God was to love our neighbor. This is a wonderful opportunity to let those neighbors who need a hand know that they are not alone and that they are loved."

Many of the thousands of people in Cleveland for the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry made their way from the Convention Center to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 1,000 pre-sale tickets were sold out and over 200 additional tickets were sold at the door. After the first set at the concert, a check for $10,000 was presented to Catholic Charities of Cleveland by event co-sponsors spiritandsong.com, RCL Benzinger, the Diocese of Cleveland's Youth and Young Adult Ministry and Catholic Youth Organization office.

Other top artists who took the stage were Josh Blakesley, Tom Booth, Santiago Fernández, Curtis Stephan, Jesse Manibusan and Who Do You Say I Am.

"I'm thankful to even be part of such an honorable event among so many great artists," said Blakesley. "It's the least I could do for such a deserving cause and I'm grateful I could help make a difference."

The "Rock Out Poverty" fundraiser is just one of the many programs OCP has sponsored or created to serve the greater Catholic community. OCP gives time and resources to a number of different causes, including the following:

• Parish Grants - Since this program's inception in 2001, more than 450 churches in total have been awarded over $900,000. Parishes in every U.S. diocese have received funds for the purpose of enhancing the worship experience.
  
  
• Christmas Giving - Each year, OCP's Christmas Giving Committee focuses on finding charities in need of extra help around the holidays. Last year, OCP employees donated nearly 5,000 pounds of food to the Oregon Food Bank.

For more information on "Rock Out Poverty," visit spiritandsong.com/spirit/spot/20081206.  Learn more about OCP's other charitable programs at www.ocp.org/about/community.

About OCP

OCP, a not-for-profit publisher of liturgical music and worship resources based in Portland, Oregon, has been in operation for more than 80 years. Worship programs produced by OCP are used in two-thirds of Catholic churches in the United States and are distributed worldwide.