17 October 2019
On Thursday 17 October we welcomed Helen from the Purley Food Hub to our Harvest Festival assembly. Purley Food Hub is an independent food bank, set up by Purley and Kenley churches. Helen thanked students and staff for their very kind donations which will make a real difference to people in need at this time. In seven years, the Hub has provided more than 156,000 meals. This Christmas they are hoping to provide 150 families with a Christmas hamper and their Christmas appeal, ‘Toys for Joy’, will ensure that 200 children each receive two toys. Helen also thanked the group of Year 9 students who visited the Hub last week – she and the other volunteers were delighted with all their hard work in sorting out the food supplies.
Purley Food Hub volunteers are also happy to pray with clients and this is well received by people of all faiths and none. The volunteers are trying to live out the words spoken to us by St Matthew: ‘When I was hungry, you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you made me welcome’ (Mt 25: 31-46). As we sang together our hymn at the beginning of assembly, we were reminded of the words of the composer, Bernadette Farrell, ‘Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst. Longing for warmth, many are cold.’ As a community, we are called to bring the ‘light’ into our world by kind words and actions as we try to be servants to one another.
Fr Gerry Devlin, Chaplain
