We feel it is important to support our community and the families that use this service, which not only runs the charity shop but also provides food hampers, toys and winter essentials.
Our school has held a variety of events to raise funds for St Vincent de Paul. In previous years we have held the St James’ Community Day, where students were able to visit different activities set around the school courtyard and were charged a small cost to participate. Money raised would be distributed across our local community and St Vincent de Paul would receive our donation.
In the past, the St James’ Mini Vinnies group would hold a Winter Sleepout to draw attention to homelessness in our community. Mini Vinnies students would stay in the courtyard overnight in their sleeping bags on a piece of cardboard. The students would complete various activities during that cold night to give them a glimpse into the life of a person or family with no place to sleep. This year due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the Mini Vinnies students were unable to hold the annual sleepout at school.
The Mini Vinnies students instead selected a few fun activities to raise some funds to donate to our local St Vincent de Paul centre. The first activity was a Beanie Day. The best parts of the day were not only the smiles, but the conversations about those families in our local community that need a little extra help. Our students became more aware of small contributions to our world making a big difference. As you can see, there were lots of smiles on the day, and a real variety of beanies.
We have more activities planned as well. Our second activity will be held in a few weeks – a Pyjama Day – and we can’t wait to see some of the outfits. Finally, the Mini Vinnies group decided we will have our Winter Appeal, where we ask families to donate a new pair of socks, towels or a blanket for the local Vinnies centre to distribute.
St James’ at Muswellbrook is certainly a place where we are encouraged to think about the needs of others, just the way Jesus did.
To find out more about St James' Primary School, visit our website.
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