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Last Thursday was the birthday of Blessed Frederic Ozanam (b. 1813), the founder of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The native of Milan started the charity as a 20-year-old student at the Sorbonne in Paris when his sense of social justice was awakened.

Earlier this year, we were blessed with the coming together of similar (and younger) students in our parish, who also wanted to do their part in addressing the social justice issues of their time. This team, which we call the “Young Persons SVP,” is now 12-strong and is mentored by some SVP members.

The SVP Team hope that you all had a lovely Easter weekend and wish you a very Holy Easter Season. As a team, we are continually blessed and energised by the amazing examples of true Christian witnessing that we see around us! Your support, through your prayers, your volunteering, your messages and your donations, is really tangible and real and it is very much appreciated. Each Saturday, your support allows us to not only continue to operate the Foodbank but to also do some home deliveries to our sisters and brothers who are in real need.

Challenges bring opportunity and, so, on Monday evening we held our first ever online monthly meeting! It proved to be very effective, with almost half the team attending, and we will now work on increasing our attendance for the next one! Our workstreams have adapted wonderfully to the current situation. Specifically, we are:

• Operating the Foodbank.
• Providing a shopping and delivery service for the isolated among us.
• Phone-buddying with those we used to visit at home.
• Phone-buddying with our bothers in the immigration detention centres.

We are also planning to send some children (boys 8-13yrs, girls 9-12yrs) on the St John Bosco summer camps, currently planned for late July and August. Please get in touch if you know of a child who could benefit from a week of fun!

The SVP’s watchwords “Be Aware” have rarely been more appropriate. Can you please keep an extra eye and ear out for your neighbours during this challenging time. And, if they are struggling for some foodstuffs, or would just like a chat over the phone, then let us know.

Your SVP Team has been boosted by some wonderful parishioners who are on standby to do shopping/delivering for the needy and the Foodbank is still operating (with a de minimus team) and receiving some very generous donations from our local shops.

We’re fond of saying that the most valuable thing we distribute at our weekly food bank is a cup of tea. It is served by a friendly face, someone you can sit down with and talk to. That fills your heart, not just your belly.

When people find themselves in need of a food bank, they feel isolated and alone, and they approach our door for the first time with trepidation. Walking into our food bank on a Saturday afternoon is usually a bit of a shock – it’s filled with people, all supporting each other. You can’t really tell the volunteers from the clients, and we like it that way. And most of our clients come to collect their food, but stay for the full two hours for the companionship.