However, when St Vincent de Paul volunteer Vince Jones told John McGlashan College senior food technology pupils they would be cooking for the homeless and families in need, they were all in.

"They didn't know until today what the idea of it was and they were all stoked once they knew that they're helping the community and that's what it's all about."

Mr Jones said he had made meals for the charity three or four times a year for the past eight years and there were a lot of people who needed the food. Read more

Without the help of young people, St Vincent de Paul Napier would not have been able to respond so positively, reports the Catholic charity in its most recent national newsletter.

While the media focus has moved on, Cyclone Gabrielle's devastation continues and St Vincent de Paul's outreach is ongoing.

"Because it's no longer on the News doesn't mean Cyclone Gabrielle is over," Julie, a Taradale resident, told CathNews.

Initially, the focus was clothing, food, possessions and personal necessities but now, as the community transitions into the recovery phase, the needs also change, reports the Church charity.

Focus change

As the needs change, St Vincent de Paul's response changes to meet those needs.

St Vincent de Paul's primary focus is now on aiding families and children displaced or emotionally affected by the cyclone.

Initially, Catholic schools in the region were reluctant to seek financial assistance from a special cyclone relief fund.

Children's mental health

However, the increasing need for mental health support has become evident.

One school has reported a spike in anxiety levels among its students, highlighting the urgent need for professional counselling services, reports the Church's social outreach.

In its newsletter, the St Vincent de Paul Society notes that at one primary school it supports, students are so traumatised by the cyclone that they never talked.

Encouragingly, the school reports positive changes.

This ongoing mental health assessment has been met with gratitude from the educational community.

Some families continue to be displaced, and others have lost their jobs due to the cyclone's far-reaching impact.

The Society reports that while the need for food parcels has seen a decline, regular support activities such as providing uniforms and stationery continue.

Additional assistance has been extended for after-school care fees, transportation and special events like the Year 9 Big Day Out, which benefited 75 students.

Christian charity with community relationships

Through the Christian charity of its donors and volunteer members, St Vincent de Paul works to provide practical and effective help to those in need and promote human dignity, justice and self-sufficiency.

The Napier branch of St Vincent de Paul says that through its relationship with WHIT (Whatever It Takes), the outreach centre and its own work, the Society continues to deliver in accord with its values of generosity, compassion, empathy, responsiveness, advocacy, respect for people and respect for the environment.

• Source: Supplied

Founded in France with the aim to help anyone in need, the Catholic charity makes a difference, not only to the lives of the people it helps, but to those dishing out the kindness too.

The New Plymouth Vinnies Conference opened in April 1907. It currently has 10 volunteers as part of its Conference committee, plus 80 helpers.

Current projects include settling new refugees into the region, visiting rest homes, and advocacy work.

Community dinners

A weekly community meal at St Joseph's Church hall is an ongoing activity.

Running on Tuesdays since 2016, it provides a two-course spread every week, with meals also delivered to the Fitzroy emergency shelter for men.

Sacred Heart Girls' College Year 8 students (pictured left to right) Nina Rangiwahia, Macy Stuck and Krystyna Wells, all 12, were part of a group from the school who helped at the community meal recently. They arrived early to help set the tables.

They and other helpers from Sacred Heart then dished up the kai, before moving around the room to mix and mingle with the diners.

For Macy, who has been involved for about a year, it is very rewarding.

"We feel really happy we've been able to serve people and give back to the community," she says.

Cooking classes

Whare Kai is another Vinnies initiative, offering weekly cooking classes to young families.

All ingredients are provided free of charge, and participants get to take the meal home to share with their whanau.

A mother-of-four admits cooking has never been her strong point, but the classes were teaching her a lot.

"They threw us in the deep end right from the beginning," she says.

Now she knows what herbs and spices to use to flavour meals and has a whole set of new cooking techniques to test out at home.

Making a difference

These days the high cost of living means many people need additional support.

The difference the charity makes to the community is something Vinnies Conference member Kevin Hartfield has seen up close.

He helps with the furniture pick-up and delivery service which works alongside 20 agencies in New Plymouth.

In the past year, it assisted 266 people including those affected by family violence or housing issues.

"We are helping people who literally have nothing."

In one house he says, a person was sleeping on top of a blanket on the floor in an otherwise bare room.

Vinnies enabled the family to acquire the furniture they needed - which moved a family member to tears, he says.

One of the logistical challenges Hartfield currently faces is not having a suitable space to store donated furniture.

Replacing Vinnies' ageing van is also high on the agenda, he says.

Volunteers and donors can phone their Vinnies local shop or email the Society of St Vincent de Paul New Zealand.

Source

• Stuff

The metal bar the thieves used to break into the Catholic charity's North Rd store caused thousands of dollars of damage. Then they stole money, food, the roller door remote - and the Vinnies van.

The food intended for Southland's needy families included a freezer containing a year's worth of meat. That was all stuffed into the stolen van.

The meat - all mince - had been donated by a local farming family. It was meant to be distributed among the community.

"That's the thing, they didn't steal it off us, they stole it off families who would have benefited from it," says St Vincent de Paul treasurer Tony Rae.

"We're all volunteers [at Vinnies], so that's a kick in the teeth for us who put in all the time into helping people."

The van, which was used for collecting and delivering donated goods around the community, was eventually found at the estuary.

Invercargill City Council said when they found it, it had been hotwired, dumped and damaged.

Trying to carry on without the van involves "lot of mucking around", says Rae.

He says insurance would cover some of the cost but not the difference needed to buy a new van.

While searching for a new vehicle, Vinnies has hired a van to help with collections and deliveries.

Despite the thefts, Rae is positive about most people.

"It's got to be said also that the percentage of people like [the thieves] is offset by the very generous people like all our volunteers, people who donate food, clothing, furniture, money," he says.

"Good people, they far outweigh the negative. It's a kick in the teeth, but we'll carry on."

St Vincent de Paul has been involved in the Invercargill community for about 90 years, working with Christian values to deliver practical and effective help to those in need.

Source

• ODT

Fitzgerald was speaking at the formal opening of De Paul House's new 10-unit transitional housing complex in Northcote, Auckland.

Opened only in December 2021, the transitional housing complex has already housed 13 families with 18 adults and 13 children says Fitzgerald.

Built on the site formerly occupied by Hato Petera College, Northcote and owned by the Auckland Catholic diocese, the transitional housing units are the latest addition to the charity's increasing number of properties that provide safe, warm and healthy places for families facing homelessness.

De Paul House currently runs a total of 44 transitional housing facilities accommodating 60 families - 89 adults and 170 children. It is a non-denominational service.

"The thing that is different about these (new) units is they are bigger," says De Paul House general manager Jan Rutledge, QSM.

Bigger families "are hardest to house, both to secure permanent housing, but also transitional housing," she says.

Rutledge says that apart from the transitional and social housing, they have one property they are renting out.

"It's a new model. We've been offered it rent-free by a very philanthropic Catholic landlord," she said.

"We have moved one family through after three years into home ownership," she said.

Auckland diocese general manager James van Schie called the opening of the new transitional units a "proud day for the Hato Petera legacy.

"We've been working to repurpose the wider site.

"It is a great opportunity to address the critical housing shortage in our city and diocese," he said.

van Schie says there is a lot of opportunity at the four-hectare-plus site and the diocese wants to see the site really shine again to meet a contemporary need.

He said the diocese is actively involved and supporting the charitable outreach of De Paul House at the former school.

The diocese is doing its part to hold the site together he said.

"Bishop Patrick Dunn made that commitment, that we weren't looking to sell or alienate this land. I think this place will be a real beacon of hope for the future."

View inside one of the De Paul House transitional housing units

Current Auckland bishop Stephen Lowe blessed framed inspirational images that will adorn each of the ten units.

"This land teems with life, but unfortunately not everybody in our society gets that same access to the basics of life," Lowe said.

Calling the housing crisis something the nation should be ashamed of, Lowe told the De Paul House team that they flavour the lives of the people they serve with hope.

"You give them care that they need and link them with the people who can help them and journey with them," he said.

Talking at the opening, Associate Housing minister Poto Williams says the Government remains committed to "ending homelessness."

Source

• NZ Catholic

Its low priority is just one of the changes Delphina Soti, General Manager of the St Vincent de Paul food Hub in Auckland is seeing.

Covid has a long tail and there are many layers of need in the community, she says.

"There's a lot of talk about things coming back to normal but in reality recovery takes a couple of years."

What is not normal is the spiralling cost of living leaving people struggling to keep their heads above water. Fixed costs come first.

"Food is becoming so expensive that it has become a discretionary item. People opt to pay for housing and amenities before food," says Soti.

She notes some families are juggling three or four jobs that don't pay as well as the jobs they had pre-Covid, observing many are industrial type jobs to pay the bills, the work is harder and takes a toll on family members.

Soti says the 'new normal' is also impacting many young Pasifika and Maori who are opting to work rather than taking up tertiary education.

They need to help pay for housing, rent, debt-servicing, food and petrol, she says.

Soti also points out Covid's 'cost' on people's mental health is "a big concern".

About a third cannot work - reasons include health or mental health issues, and very young children. Many are business owners. Many have families to support.

With money tight and mental health fragile, food banks are frantically busy, says Soti.

She says that when the pandemic began to escalate in 2020, Vinnies Auckland expanded its operation from a 200 square metre warehouse to one of 1100 square metres with a drive-through system allowing people who have already registered to come at an allocated time to pick up their food boxes.

"Hundreds of boxes are pre-packed by staff and volunteers throughout the week.

"On pick-up day, it's like a drive-through takeaway service," says Soti.

"We had to figure out a way to meet the huge demand and keep it safe, dignified and non-contact."

Vinnies works with networks, farms and food producers to procure nutritious food at cost price.

Soti says the parcels are based on larger family units, are high in nutritional value and make a significant difference to families.

Vinnies Auckland distributes around 500 food parcels a week - but peak demand this year saw 1,200 parcels flying out the door.

Source

• Supplied

Speaking at the opening Levin, Mayor Mr Bernie Wanden, (pictured) described the Centre as "a wonderful venture for our community."

Wanden observed that Levin probably has the lowest rating for household income in New Zealand.

He said the St Vincent de Paul Centre is "providing a real presence and a help for our social needs.

"It is so needed."

Wanden's comments were echoed by Vincentian Conference President Bernard Hanaray.

"In our current times we see many devolving into deeper hardship and need, brought about by prohibitive costs of living - food, warmth, housing, travel - with few if not non-existent solutions currently evident," said Hanaray.

"We hope our Centre will go some way to meet these needs."

Hanaray noted the Levin St Vincent de Paul Conference was established 20 years ago with small numbers and few resources.

The tradition of helping others is long, though.

"Our ancestors provided the base for today's wider community to offer practical and effective personal support to those in need".

The new Prouse Street complex has a Vinnies Shop, a space for sharing and enjoying time together over tea and coffee, meeting facilities and office space.

It will also have places for community activities, advocacy work, working with other local community agencies and as a drop-in Centre where people can get clothes and furniture.

The Centre's most important role though, is to enhance human dignity.

Vinnies has a three-year lease at the new site.

Dream realised

For many years Gerry Stevens, a parishioner of Pukekaraka and Kapi Mana Area President for Saint Vincent de Paul, dreamed of a Vincentian Centre that cares for people and enhances their dignity, a place that helps them in themselves and gives them ‘a step up'.

He is delighted his dream has been realised.

"It accords with the deeper values of St Vincent de Paul to be generous; seek integrity; be compassionate; show empathy; be responsive; provide advocacy and respect for each person," said Stevens.

"These values will be expressed in this new building where people can come in and feel at home, have a cuppa and share with one another."

As part of the support services, long time Vincentian Margaret Hannan is looking to set up space for craftwork, an exercise group and even a speaking group.

St Vincent de Paul President Terry Jordan said, "We are standing on the shoulders of our past when we showed care for one another. We can achieve this here in Levin too."

Karen Holland of Catholic Social Services Wellington said that the CSS will be available as needed to support the St Vincent de Paul Centre with its own expertise and with counsellors, strengthening the hospitality and training needed to provide excellent support.

Local Pukekaraka Chaplain and National Chaplain of St Vincent de Paul, Pa Alan Roberts, invited the 40 persons present to come through the building with him and, as he blessed it with holy water, to place their own blessing into the walls and rooms.

"Bless this building and all the guests and work that will be done here. May we learn from the example of the carpenter's son to transform the work of our hands into a blessed building up God's creation and enhance the dignity of each person," prayed Roberts.

As part of a nationwide anti-vax mandate convoy, protesters have occupied Nelson Square since last Monday.

St Vincent de Paul Marlborough area president Alan Furness said the Vinnies shops - including those in Picton - are staffed by volunteers, most over the age that the Ministry of Health considered to be elderly.

"With the increasing spread of the Omicron variant and the relatively high number of anti-vax protesters who refuse to wear masks, a high proportion of those elderly shop volunteers feel vulnerable to the increased exposure".

Vinnies has a duty to provide for the disadvantaged in the community, he said. It also has a duty to its members and volunteers. The decision to close the shop for the meantime was made by the acting shop manager.

Mayor John Leggett said the council deliberately sought a peaceful resolution with the Nelson Square protesters that would not require trespass notices or police involvement.

He said the council has received many complaints from residents, unhappy that an unauthorised group had occupied a local public reserve normally used for recreation.

One resident said that while the numbers at Nelson Square initially decreased, more people had arrived over the weekend.

She said it was frustrating for the nearby residents, many of who were elderly and lived in flats bordering the park.

Source

• RNZ
• OneNews
• Image: Stuff

The area's four foodbanks — Presbyterian Support Otago, the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and the Mosgiel Community Food Bank, met yesterday to discuss the intense pressure their services have come under in the past month.

It comes as they prepare for the Christmas surge without the city's annual Christmas can appeal, which usually boosts foodbank reserves but has this year been cancelled because of Covid restrictions.

Dunedin St Vincent de Paul (Vinnies) centre and pastoral coordinator, Sarah Strang, says the stocks ran so low at Vinnies' foodbank this week, she had to make a plea for donations on social media.

Strang was stunned with the response of people.

"The results were wonderfully encouraging. People rallied and donated enough to keep the foodbank running for the next couple of weeks."

Strang says the first people who walked in the door with food were people the St Vincent de Paul had previously helped.

"They don't have a lot themselves, but recognized the call for help.

"People are very generous and will give if they know the need is there.

"People are so amazing. It's heart-warming", Strang said.

All Dunedin's food banks are facing high needs, depleted shelves and a poor outlook.

Salvation Army Dunedin community ministries manager David McKenzie says October was busier than it has been in the five-plus years he had been in his role.

When asked what was driving the demand and the lack of food on the shelves, his response echoes Strang's assessment. They blame housing costs taking up more of available income, lost work hours due to Covid and the inability this year to run the emergency services' can appeal.

"There doesn't appear to be any easy fix at the moment," McKenzie says.

"All of the foodbanks are very low in stock, we're just making it through day by day."

When one of the city's food banks was running low, usually they could seek a top up from one of the others.

But they were all in the same dire situation at the moment, Presbyterian Support Otago practice manager Deb Gelling says.

Gelling notes the foodbank experienced record demand during the last lockdown. Last week 33 food parcels were given out in a single day - an unusually high number.

Donations were still coming in and there had been some Government funding, but the shelves were still bare.

‘‘It is very unusual for us to be this low in stock. It's definitely a different feel this year.''

Work has begun on an alternative to the annual emergency service can appeal.

Organiser and senior firefighter Aimee Taylor says she hopes to have more details about this next week.

Source

• Otago Daily Times
• Image: Supplied

In a recently released High Court judgment, Justice Simon France shaved Poipoi's sentence for a range of offences from 29 months' jail to 20 months.

The most high-profile offence was the November 2020 burglary of Palmerston North's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

Poipoi, now 26, and others stole food parcels from the foodbank run by the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul. Read more

Terry has been a member of the Conference in Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt, since 2008 and has held leadership roles at Conference, Area Council and National Board levels.

"I see my membership of the Society as a practical expression of my faith," says Terry.

"The Letter of James says, ‘Faith without works is dead'. St Vincent de Paul is the ‘works' by which my faith is strengthened and sustained."

Terry is married to Julie and has seven children and 14 grandchildren.

Terry is an accountant with broad commercial experience. He has recently retired from his role as Operations Manager for the Insurance Council of New Zealand where he worked for many years with every level of the industry and Government.

Terry says the St Vincent de Paul Society is not just another welfare organisation.

"We are an evangelising society where we take Christ to the people we serve. In meeting their needs through material help, we must seek to meet their spiritual needs as well. As we look into the eyes of those we serve and they look into ours, our common vision must be of Christ."

The Society's prime work of helping the poor takes place at Conference and Area levels, says Terry.

This work needs to be supported by a professional central administration that can deal with an increasingly complex compliance and regulatory environment.

"As President I see it as vital that we manage the commercial and regulatory realities professionally and accurately so we can provide a seamless service to those who are privileged to serve."

Terry sees the need for a Society that is "agile enough to meet the ever-changing current needs of the poor and adaptable enough to meet even the unknown future needs. Covid puts us on notice that we need to be ready for anything."

To achieve this, he advocates more training for all areas of the Society to increase skills, knowledge and the confidence of members.

He would also like to see a high level of transparency around decision-making and effective communication between National Council members and the grassroots level.

Terry says that one of the most important Board roles will be addressing the declining membership of the Society.

He says it is a challenging task with "an increasingly secular society, smaller numbers of worshippers and reducing numbers of parishes".

He plans to get feedback on the best ideas currently in action for building and strengthening Conferences and share and encourage the implementation of those ideas widely.

"Their generosity has been outstanding, and it restores my faith in human nature", he says.

"They will literally help make Christmas for many who were likely to miss out".

His comments come after burglars broke into the Cathedral Saturday night stealing thousands of dollars of donated food and gifts collected by its local St Vincent De Paul (Vinnies) conference.

Grayland told CathNews that the Police are hoping to find the thief as they have timed security camera footage of the burglar entering and of his vehicle.

"I'm sure Vinnies would have tried to help him had he asked", Grayland said.

The stolen goods had been earmarked by Vinnies for families in need over the Christmas season.

Vinnies Palmerston North president Mike Keenan (pictured), discovered the burglary on Sunday.

He says thieves got away with 10 Christmas-wrapped and decorated parcels donated from a food drive at St James' Catholic School, plus cans, jam, coffee sachets, biscuits, chocolate bars, 500g packets of sugar, bread and 20 kilograms of meat.

He says the food would have been given to around 20 families in time for Christmas.

The church usually delivers 800 parcels a year, helping 3000 people.

"I was pretty upset all day yesterday. I can't understand why people would do that sort of thing," he says.

The burglars trashed the room as well as stealing the donated food and gifts.

"It was a huge mess," he says.

"Food had been tipped out everywhere and dropped as the burglars took what they wanted.

"There were two panels removed from one of the windows, which must have been how they got in."

Exactly how much food was taken is difficult to estimate, because the food bank doesn't keep detailed ledgers.

"We're grateful for the donations from the Manawatu area and wish everyone a great Christmas," Keenan said.

People wanting to help replace the Christmas gifts and hampers are welcome to donate food to Vinnies Shop on Rangitikei Street.

Police area prevention manager Senior Sergeant Darren Paki says police are asking for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning to come forward.

Anyone with information should get in touch by phoning 105 and quoting file number 201129/3944.

Sources

• Supplied
• TVNZ
• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

The response from volunteers and donors has been tremendous, says Marlena Hoeft-Marwick, National President of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

"Some people have donated money, others have given food items and essential household goods."

"Our ongoing efforts to support the disadvantaged would not be possible without a multitude of donors and volunteers."
"Many regions have received donations which have been used to help the disadvantaged in those areas."

"Our National Office launched a National Appeal in June which has so far raised $15,000. We have also developed social media platforms to raise awareness of the needs in the community and to encourage people to contribute."

Marlena said the Society was seeing people and families who do not usually ask for help.

"This is a very tough time for a lot of people - people sleeping in vans, people in over-crowded homes and people needing food parcels and household essentials just to get through."

Mike Daly, the Society's Area President in Christchurch, said that during lockdown the Society was faced with the challenge of continuing to provide assistance to welfare clients when it had no income from its retail shops which were closed.

"We designed an electronic method of issuing grocery vouchers to those in need. The system worked very well with the client receiving the voucher by text and then able to redeem the voucher at their local supermarket."

"The cost was projected to be $5,000 per week. We set up a "Give a Little" page and after one month in level 4 of Covid-19, we had issued over 300 vouchers and spent over $20,000.

During the same period, our "Give a Little" page had received $14,000 with an additional $6,000 donated directly to Vinnies. God indeed provides through the generosity of many!"

In Auckland during the first lockdown period from March to the end of June, the Vinnies responded to well over 12,000 referrals/requests for food parcels, said Claire Murphy, Auckland Area President.

"This unprecedented demand for food peaked at around 1000 parcels per week and since the first lockdown period, Vinnies have been processing an average of 500 referrals per week."

"Each family food parcel contains dry goods, fresh produce and bread, and a box of frozen meat, dairy and vegetables. Each food parcel is valued at around $100."

"The largest demand for food parcels comes from those affected by job losses."

Those who are struggling include Pasifika and Maori families, solo parents, those who are mentally and physically unwell, refugees, the homeless, those with expired visas, students on student and working visas, and the elderly.

Claire Murphy said it was a miracle that Vinnies Auckland was able to process 500 parcels each week.

"This huge effort is being achieved thanks to donors on the "Give a Little" page and friends of Vinnies who support us each year. We are also lucky to have wonderful volunteers - individuals, youth groups and organisations that pack and process the thousands of parcels and deliver them."

The Society in Westport reports that "since lockdown, we have had numerous requests for assistance with food parcels. We have been very fortunate to have received generous anonymous donations from people who know the work we do in the community and want to do their bit to help."

Kathy Egan, from the Society's Taradale conference, said that since lockdown "we have been busy re-stocking the depleted community foodbank, taking the elderly from the local rest homes for walks and delivering ‘cuisine' food, donated by a local business, to several families.

We also provided funds to local early childhood centres for outings and equipment not covered by Ministry of Education funding."

"In these cold winter months, firewood has been delivered to many families and we have also provided personal items for women and children staying at the Women's Refuge."

Millie Lambess, the Society's Wellington Area communications manager, said that since the first lockdown ended in June, the Vinnies Wellington food bank was continuing to operate at a 100+% increase in the support provided to clients.

"Alongside the distribution of practical assistance, our Community Social Worker is experiencing an increasing need for psycho-social support as the long-term effects of the COVID-19 lockdown emerge," said Millie.

Source
Supplied: St Vincent de Paul Society

The Appeal will run until December.

The goal is to raise $4 million to provide people with economic, social and emotional support during these times of severe hardship, says SVDP National President Marlena Hoeft-Marwick.

"Many of our services have been funded through our Op Shops which had to close during April and May, resulting in a loss of income of about $1.5 million."

"At the same time, the demands for our services have increased by around 400% and are continuing to increase."

"The National Recovery Appeal is essential to ensure that we can meet the increasing demand for assistance."

An SVDP National Recovery Appeal website has been developed and supporters are encouraged to donate online at: donate.svdp.org.nz.

People can also donate by cheque and bankcard.

Donations will be used to provide people with the essentials such as food parcels, clothing, household goods and services, as well as social and emotional support.

"Funds will be distributed to Vinnies Centres throughout New Zealand so support can be provided locally," says Marlena.

"Our job is to ease the pressure on individuals and families with practical help."

The National Recovery Appeal has the endorsement of Cardinal John Dew, Archbishop of Wellington.

"Covid-19 is creating new layers of poverty and need in our community, and it is vital the St Vincent de Paul Society is able to do the work it has done for decades and to add to it as new needs emerge."

"I commend the St Vincent de Paul Society for taking proactive steps to ensure that it can continue to help those in need as we all grapple with the needs of our new environment."

St Vincent de Paul is a registered charity and all donations over $5 are tax-deductible.

Donate

• donate.svdp.org.nz
• national@svdp.org.nz

Source

• svdp.org.nz
• Image: .facebook.com

Work that is less visible nationally but very important locally is happening everywhere.

Foodbanks and soup kitchens are two very busy basic services working hard behind the scenes.

Some extraordinary ingenuity is being used in these extraordinary times when essential Catholic spiritual work such as, attending to the sick and dying, is severely restricted by Level 4 rules.

Dunedin

Two St Vincent de Paul staff have continued to work providing food parcels. Because the usual donations of food at parish Masses has not been available, food has been bought with donated money, including with a grant from the Tindall Foundation.

The Dunedin and Central Otago Catholic Social Services (CSS) counselling and social work teams are keeping in touch with people using Zoom and phone calls, providing support, counselling, information and helping people get food parcels, technology support and financial help when needed.

Mike Tonks, CSS Dunedin Director, says life for some people has been a little easier under lockdown, with some having less anxiety and reporting they are coping better.

Christchurch
Catholic Social Services Manager Jon Brian says team members are working from home to support parishioners via phone and video link. People are pleased to "unload" to a professional counsellor outside their "bubble," he says.

"Almost all the people reached didn't expect to be contacted or to be able to contact counsellors; they were pleasantly surprised and grateful for that," Jon said.

Catholic hospital chaplains are continuing to work from home, connecting with patients and hospital staff by phone and other devices.

Wellington
Hospital chaplain Lizzie Wootton says chaplains are learning to adapt to new rhythms and routines, at a time when face to face contact is not possible.

But she is able to talk to and pray with people in hospital using their own and hospital phones.

"I try to be present to them because human presence in any form helps with mental health and healing," Lizzie said.

The Compassion Soup Kitchen has doubled its meal production to more than 150 a day since the lockdown started.

The kitchen has closed its communal dining area, instead, they are distributing meals at the door.

Auckland
Catholic Social Services, Catholic Caring Foundation and St Vincent de Paul's foodbank in Newton are working together to get food parcels out to the elderly.

Parishes are also responding to the crisis by setting up phone groups to call elderly parishioners to see who needs help.

One parish is forwarding fresh produce to Vinnies, while another is ensuring that protective gear is made available to the volunteers and staff at the foodbank. Another parish programme is being set up to help the elderly receive their flu vaccinations.

Source

Supplied: He Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa
New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference

The seminars, run by the Society's National Spiritual Adviser Fr Jeff Drane, are being held in the coming months in response to requests from Vincentians at the grassroots level.

The theme of the seminar series is: There's work to be done - renewing the Society's vision in New Zealand.

"The seminars will provide an opportunity for people to be inspired once again by the vision of the Society and to be re-motivated in putting their faith into action," says Jeff.

"Together we will re-look at the mission of the Society and re-evaluate what we are doing locally to meet the needs of the disadvantaged, particularly those on the fringes of society."

At the seminars, there will be a strong focus on recruiting new members and pooling members' experience of what works well in attracting new and younger members.

"The membership of the Society is ageing and we need fresh blood," says Jeff.

"We need to invite people from a range of faith communities - Maori, Pasifika, Filipino, Indian, Korean for example - to set up Vinnies groups in which they feel comfortable.

"There is a great opportunity to harness the vitality of these communities in the service of those most in need in society."

The Society's Youth Adviser to the National Board, Paolo Minehan, says there is huge potential to attract young people to the work of the Society.

The challenge for the Society is to be flexible enough to engage with them, says Paolo.

"We need to come up with projects which young people can do and which fit in with their schedules.

"Young people have lots of skills and talents and they can offer those to the Society if you give them the opportunity.

"The way the Society is organised, meetings can be hard for young people to get to and it can be a bit of a closed shop."

Source

Supplied: read the complete press release

Marlena Hoeft-Marwick has been involved with the Society of St Vincent de Paul since she was in primary school and has come up through the ranks of the Society.

Her roles in the Society have included two terms as Marlborough Area Council President and National Council member for four years.

Marlena has a strong commitment to social justice. She is very experienced in working in an advocacy role with clients to get the support they need from government agencies such as the local DHB, WINZ, Barnados Child and Family Services, and Migrant Services.

She brings to the role a broad range of governance and business experience. She has worked in the legal and medical administration sectors in Australia and London.

She has managed a number of businesses including the family building business, and has been the creator and operator of several start-up businesses.

Marlena is married with three grown-up children and lives in Picton. She and her husband Ian are involved in several community projects that protect the local environment through pest monitoring and trapping programmes.

She is also the coordinator of Community Fruit Marlborough which arranges for excess fruit to be donated to the local food bank which distributes it to schools.

The new National President is a keen netballer and tennis player.

"It is time for a new beginning, time to bring fresh energy to the challenge of feeding the poor, housing the homeless, visiting and sitting with the sick and lonely and listening to what they are telling us," says Marlena.

"Now is the time to embrace our mission of service with fresh energy and a clear sense of purpose."

Marlena says her leadership style will be one of truly listening to the membership and then working collaboratively and decisively to put plans into action.

"Effective leadership begins with listening. Everybody has something to contribute, whether it is expressed eloquently or simply.

"There is always a message, and it usually comes from the heart. We must at all times treat our fellow brothers and sisters with the Vincentian spirit of love and charity.

"It is my intention to be a servant leader by providing an encouraging forum at all levels of the Society to increase our membership and the number of conferences. My goal is also to see our spirituality nourished and shared with others.

"If we do that, it will be a natural progression to expand our works of charity throughout New Zealand."

Source
Supplied: St Vincent de Paul Society

Coordinating Catholic aid is Jerome Perrin, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. Read more

Society President Terry Comber said that the social issues that the Bishops raise are
at the forefront of the Society's work.

"On behalf of Vincentians in New Zealand, I would like to publicly support their Statement.

"We encounter people every day who are facing the personal and social challenges
the bishops are talking about - particularly lack of affordable housing, mental
health issues and the struggle of many elderly in our society to get by each week.
Their situation cannot be ignored. It is up to everybody from politicians to local
communities to address these issues.

"In the words of Pope Francis: 'Nothing else will change the world but people who
fight for justice and human dignity."'

Terry Comber urged Catholics to read the Statement carefully and act on its guidance.

"The Bishops' Statement covers complex topics honesty and sensitively. It shows
real awareness of what the reality is out there, a reality that our members are
encountering every day. When we vote, we need to consider the common good
and the vulnerable in New Zealand society, not just ourselves."

The Bishops' statement calls for a tax structure which is fair to low income earners
and advocates a thorough review and strengthening of the mental health sector. It
calls the growing prison population a "national disgrace", and advocates pro-life
attitudes and policies from inception to the last days of life.

The Bishops emphasise the role faith has in the public forum. It calls on all
brothers and sisters in Christ to let faith guide them in their political choices, and
to vote in accord with what's best for all of New Zealand, not just the individual
voter.

"Faith has a vital role in the public forum," says the Bishops' Statement. "Stand
up, uphold the common good of our nation, choose wisely and your vote will be a
blessing for our nation."

It appears that while a few don't know the difference between a landfill and a charity Op Shop, the Vinnies in Hamilton say the good outweighs the bad by a country mile.

Last month TVNZ ran an episode of their documentary series Gutsful about dumping rubbish on OP Shops.

The promo said "We uncover some un-charitable dumping in the Waikato, where Hospice donations have gone to the dogs."

"Mike from St Vinnies has had a gutsful of sorting through sex toys and soiled goods."

But Rolton told the Waikato Times "The really good stuff that people know we can recycle, that's 99 per cent of it."

"We don't get a big pile of useless things, we get the occasional useless thing,"

The Hamilton St Vincent de Paul FaceBook page gives a good picture of the scope and variety of the things that people are doing to support the Society's works.

The Vinnies in Hamilton provide food parcels for families, school lunches for students and run a soup kitchen two nights a week.

"For just food alone, if you want a number, we feed everyone in Hamilton city once a year, and that's growing. Rolton​ said.

"On a dollar value, we put out $15,000 of food into the community every week."

"Our shops are basically our fundraisers because we don't get Government funding, so we have to survive on our own money."

Others, is seems are not so fortunate. Earlier this year the Manawatu Standard ran a piece about the Methodist Social Services Goodwill.

Manager Lyal Brenton told the Standard that that the accumulated junk left outside the city's charity op-shops was estimated to cost the sector $70,000 a year in disposal fees.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz