Students from St Edmund’s College in Griffith have contributed to the St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal, preparing hampers to be distributed to families in need. The students spent six weeks gathering food items to go into the hampers.
Director Secretariat at Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn, Sarah Clifton, said Vinnies is expecting to provide over $500,000 in emergency assistance to over 3,000 families and individuals in the Canberra region over the holiday period.
“As Christmas approaches, calls for help to the Society are expected from now until January,” she said.
““The food we receive from St Edmund’s will be included in the hampers our volunteer members make up and deliver to the people we assist. Vinnies members in Canberra visit families in their homes to find ways in which we can best support them.
“In the last year, the two greatest requests for assistance were for help with food and utilities. Our Christmas Appeal allows us to provide practical assistance in the form of help with rent, and utilities, but we also enjoy making up festive hampers with special, celebratory food and gifts. Everyone should be able to experience joy at Christmas.”
In presenting the hampers, Director of Mission and Identity at St Edmund’s, Michael Monagle, thanked the students for their efforts and said the hampers were a perfect way to “bring a bit of light, a bit of joy” to someone in need.
“Eddies has a strong history of supporting our local community, and we’re pleased to be able to support the St Vincent de Paul Society in the good work they do in our area. Our students have learned a lot from our involvement with Vinnies, and enjoyed collecting food they thought other families would enjoy,” he said.
“We’re so grateful for the wonderful support we’ve had from St Edmund’s this year. From having fundraising days, to staff and students volunteering with our services, we are pleased to see the spirit of social justice alive and well in the next generation,” said Ms Clifton.
The hampers will be delivered to individuals and families in the region on Thursday 20 November. The St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal runs until 31 January 2019.
For more information or to make a donation, head in to any Vinnies store, call 13 18 12 or visit vinnies.org.au/christmasappeal
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