To mark this year’s World Day of the Poor on Sunday 17th November, Caritas Westminster is pleased to launch its annual Advent Giving Calendar, to encourage adults and children alike to support others this Christmas.
The calendar helps parishes, diocesan schools and community projects who run food banks, pantries, food sharing initiatives and community meals to collect extra donations for the busy winter period, with many items on the list suggested by volunteers.
Each day, the calendar invites members of the community to bring specific items to donate to their own or a nearby food project, including non-perishable foods, cleaning and hygiene products, and festive items.
There are over 300 food projects in the Diocese of Westminster alone, with some parish food banks spending up to £1,000 a week on supplies to serve those in need. The Advent Giving Calendar is a practical tool that enables such projects to keep stocked up. Previously, one parish food project reported that items collected through the calendar supported them until the spring.
‘The Advent Giving Calendar is now in its sixth year, and thousands of bags of donations have been given to projects that are vital to their communities,’ said Niki Psarias, Food Programme Lead at Caritas Westminster. ‘It has also been used and shared by the wider Caritas family, where it has inspired even more support for grassroots action across our network.’
Find out more about Caritas Westminster’s work on Food Security here.
For more information about using the Advent Giving Calendar, contact the Caritas Food team.
