Churches will often times have food pantries, soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters, etc. They provide resources to the poorest in their community.
My parish actually divides its money up pretty cleanly; the first collection each week is for the upkeep of the church building, its school, etc., and there's a second collection that rotates, but once a month it's for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which does rent assistance, furniture and coat drives, and the like, regardless of the recipient's religious affiliation.
