August, Week 4

Sunday

Vocations Festival – You Are Called

This weekend, a Vocation Festival was held at Christ the King Parish in Owairaka where people were able to go along and see ways in how they can deepen their faith. This is the first time that there was an event for people within the diocese that helps with discerning our vocation that would fit for each person. There were different stalls set up on the day. From religious orders to lay organisation, it was a day full of many inspiring testimonies that explored different vocations such as Marriage, religious order, teaching etc. It was an important event as it showcased the different vocations each stall had to offer and allowed a variety of opportunities to those who went along.

Thursday

Living Wage in Aotearoa!

On Thursday night, a Living Wage Forum was held at St Annes in Manurewa where one representative from 4 different parties (Labour, NZ First, Maori and Green) came and sat down to discuss the situations around affordable housing and the living wage problem in New Zealand. The main focus was looking at the communities in South Auckland, where stories were shared from individuals who were and still are personally affected by these struggles. Each Member of Parliament had a chance to address their parties policies towards affordable housing and the living wage. They all committed to increasing the numbers of houses in South Auckland and to also raise the living wage to $20/hour if elected in to parliament.  The event was filled with parishes, organisations, youth and school groups and even the residents who live in South Auckland along with representatives from Young Vinnies, The Logos Project and The Auckland Catholic Youth Ministry.

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August, Week 3

Wednesday

Bringing the Service back to Monte Cecilia!

Monte Cecilia is a service which offers a range of housing services for low income families who struggle to meet the growing prices of housing in New Zealand. These services range from housing advice and referral, advocacy for sustainable housing and also providing emergency housing in some more serious cases. The girls from McAuley High School have begun to offer their services at Monte Cecilia out in Mangere, taking care of the kids of the families in these circumstances and providing an evening of fun and relaxation. This provides a breathing space for the parents who spend a lot of time to look after there little ones. Throughout the week, more schools will be signing on to visit Monte Cecilia to offer there support and service.

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Prisons Induction for Volunteers

On Wednesday night, a team of 30+ adults attended an induction evening to become volunteers for Sunday services at the Mt Eden Corrections Facility. They were taken through a briefing on health and safety and also security. They also learnt about the facility itself and the daily routines that the prisoners go through each day. This was to help the volunteers gain a better understanding of their reality so that when they go in, they are able to better share in praise and worship. It was a long night of learning and form filling but will bloom results in the coming weeks.

Thursday

Dinner for the Whanau

This week, the students from Baradene College visited the Ronald McDonald House to cook and serve the families who are currently going through hardships. It was full on as a lot of prep and care was taken in the leading up to this day. A lot of meetings and info sessions where carried out by the Youth Team so that it wasn’t just the act of serving but also an act of caring as well. Despite the long planning, these girls took to the kitchen to provide a delicious and loving meal for those families looking after there little ones.

 

August, Week 2

Understanding Our Youth

Every growing youth should be able to experience the care and love from their families and caregivers. Sadly, this is not always the case and for some youth, it can have an impact on their development growing up. This week, two schools were exposed to this reality in order to better prepare them for their joint service project coming later on in the year. They will spend a whole day filled with fun and excitement with these kinds of youths in hopes that they can offer them a day they will remember.

St Peters College understanding the psychological impact these youths go through.

Marist College capturing the “moment” before unpacking their session.

Monday

Generosity goes a long way

The Vinnies Op Shop in Kingsland is where you can afford clothing at a reasonable price. Not only that, it also operates as a Foodbank where people who are struggling to get by can come in for our services. Both operations heavily rely on donations from everyone and anyone. Some of our most generous donations come from the the leaders, staff and parishioners from different Parishes, offering donations from canned goods to blankets and even kitchenware. These donations help the Vinnies Center a lot, keeping it in peek performance so that the staff can carry on with their work and service.

Micheal, a St Patrick’s Parishioner, helping with the loading of donations from St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Wednesday

Prisons – What is it?

This week, the boys from Rosmini College were able to listen and gain a greater understanding around prisons from a team at JustSpeak. JustSpeak represent the youth and their voice in the criminal justice conversation and at the decision making table. The boys were able to gain knowledge on the vulnerable who enter prison, especially those below the age of 18 as well as those who are mentally impaired. It served as a means of spreading awareness of the challenges and hardships these youths go through when faced with this challenge in life.

August, Week 1

Back at James Liston Hostel!

James Liston Hostel is an Emergency Housing facility near the heart of Auckland’s Central Business District. They help those who have faced all sorts of struggles and situations by providing two meals a day, warm bedding, different kinds of support systems and overall a place to feel safe. Run by Manager Ama Charlotte and her staff, they work hard to offer as much support and service to their resident in hope that they can provide long term solutions. This week the Vinnies crew were able to connect in with the residents, helping out Chef Charles in the kitchen by preparing and serving dinner. The Vinnies team were then given the chance to share in a meal with the residents during dinner, making relationships and sharing stories as well.

Monday: Rebecca and Sharkie with James Liston Hostel Chef Charles after serving the residents

Tuesday: St Pauls in the process of serving Fish and Chips to the residents of James Liston Hostel

The Young Adults team having a  quick photo after serving Chicken and Mash Potatoes along with Chef Charles

 

Wednesday

Helping to make a difference!

Every Wednesday, the Vinnies Center gets generous donations of fruits, veggies, bakery goods and plenty more from the team at KiwiHarvest. They donate to different collectives in hope to conserve wastage of foods from many different places. They have helped minimize wastage of over 122,000 food items and are continuing to do even more.