OUTREACH

The hallmark of who we are as a community is in our connection with each other, and from this strength we provide ‘outreach’ to current needs.

Over the years substantial support has been afforded to St Vincent de Paul’s vast areas of need, to the Cana Community for the Homeless, and most recently to our drought-stricken community of St Joseph’s at Dunedoo.

A HELPING HAND FOR OUR BUSH BUDDIES

As a practical manifestation of the St Joseph’s ‘Network for Good’ program our community came together in the months before Christmas 2019 to help country families in the NSW town of Dunedoo, who were doing it particularly tough as a result of the 4 year drought.

The connection with Dunedoo came about through a particular relationship forged with St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, a small school with less than 40 families, the majority of whom are either farmers or dependant on primary production for their livelihood.  The Principal of St Joseph’s, Sr Margaret, is a Josephite nun.

As well as asking our community to donate to an appeal to raise money for these families, to help make their Christmas a little bit brighter, we asked everyone to write a letter to each family member to let our Dunedoo brothers and sisters know that we were thinking of them.  The response in donations and letters and cards was immediate and overwhelming with community members even involving other schools in writing letters to every child at St Michael’s and their siblings.  One pre-school community also supported our appeal by having parents buy presents for every child at St Michaels.  The letters, cards and gifts were all taken personally to Dunedoo where they were presented to families at the school’s end of year gathering.

Dunedoo families were completely bowled over by our gesture which had the desired effect of brightening their Christmas and restoring hope and optimism within the community.   For our St Joseph’s community, the appeal provided a real sense of engagement and solidarity, in being able to do something tangible to relieve the human distress of those suffering from the drought.

dunedoo’s drought

finally some rain! (may 2020)

DUNEDOO IS IN FULL HARVEST!