Community Support provided by St Martin's Parish

ANGLICARE
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Financially and by providing Rugs for the Needy

MAGDALENE CENTRE
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Monthly delivery of non-perishable food, fresh produce and Backpacks for homeless youth.

WOMEN’S SHELTER
Care packages are delivered monthly

FOODBANK
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On-site at St Martin’s every second Wednesday, Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the front line charities who are feeding vulnerable Australians. Foodbank provides more than 70% of the food rescued for food relief organisations nation-wide..
As part of its ministry to Foodbank clients the Parish offers free coffee, tea and biscuits and a monthly café (Chat and Chew) which provides a simple paid meal with tea or coffee for $7.00. At Christmas the parish provides a luncheon free to customers and volunteers on one of the Wednesdays Foodbank is at St Martin’s in December.
Further, we feel that, as well as the provision of food and beverage, providing hospitality is based on our desire to connect with members of the community who may need other support, who may be socially isolated, who may require a pastoral response to their situation simply by listening, encouraging and by offering chaplaincy to those who seek such support. The parish sees this as part of its vision to: Express God’s love through ministry and service to all and its mission in doing God’s work and message through service to others and building community.
Anglicare has been approached about the possibility of the ‘Thread Van’ being on-site on the same day as Foodbank.

The Parish’s Op Shop “Reggie’s Shed”

Is open throughout Foodbank’s visit, providing quality second-hand bric-a-brac, clothing, books, CDs etc.
We hope that this networking might create opportunities for a social group or one-off meetings.
It would be wonderful if our Foodbank customers and Foodbank volunteers could become volunteers at St Martin’s, helping for example in the Op Shop or as gardeners in the cemetery, with monthly working bees that would be supervised and tools provided.
For those Foodbank clients who may be looking for work, volunteering in this manner could also provide them with work experience.
This works well with which we would encourage with the clients and volunteers endorsing the NCLS that 98% of people have a strong sense of belonging, 100% agree St Martin’s is inclusive of different kinds of people, 93% have found it easy to make friends at St Martin’s and 98% agree it is easy to become involved in ministry at St Martin’s.