The Christmas project began in 1994 out of an awareness of the poverty and social isolation of residents of Licensed (now Assisted) Boarding Houses. As a result of advocacy, legislative change and effective monitoring, living conditions have improved. The NDIS has reduced social isolation. However, residents still have little personal money and very few have regular contact with family or friends.
As these people move to group homes or aged care, they remain poor and friendless. We maintain contact and have followed some people since 1994.
PERSONAL GIFT PARCELS
This year, our data base has 805 names. This means that, in 2023, 805 men and women across NSW received gift parcels of perfume or aftershave, socks and lollies. These people were in varied living situations:
- 5 Assisted Boarding Houses
- 35 Group Homes
- 24 Aged Care facilities
- 2 Disability Care organisations
- 12 people living independently with support
4 schools packed and delivered 336 parcels and Gethsemane packed and delivered 469 parcels.
TOILETRY, FOOD AND GIFT HAMPERS
420 hampers containing a complete range of toiletries, enough basic food for three days, festive food, and a calendar were prepared for clients of:
- Redfern, Marrickville, Croydon and Canterbury Mental Health teams
- The Mobile Assertive treatment team at Croydon
- The Camperdown Core teams including The Case Management Team, Family Team, and Aboriginal Mental Health teams.
- Royal Prince Alfred and Canterbury Drugs Health teams.
Packing toiletry, food and gift hampers
Hampers being put in car for delivery
CHRISTMAS CARDS
A coded system allows interested people to send a personal Christmas card to one of the 805 people on our data base. In 2023, about 8,000 coded labels were distributed. Cards come back to the Gethsemane post box and are re-directed to the actual facility where the individual lives. Potentially, each person could receive at least 5 cards. These people never receive personal mail, so the cards are greatly enjoyed. They are often used to decorate a person’s room or the walls of a boarding house.
CHRISTMAS LUNCH
This year, there were 20 guests, 4 carers and 10 volunteers. Drinks and nibbles were followed by a full Christmas lunch and then presents were distributed.
Excess gifts were taken to RPA Drugs Health. Tinned food and toiletries were taken to St Paul’s Anglican Church in Burwood, which provides food and other items to many people in the area. Fr James has set up a food bank in the church grounds. 40% of people in the area are renting and there are many general boarding houses.
Excess food following Christmas lunch was taken to Denroma at Marrickville, an Assisted Boarding house for people with disabilities.
SUPPORT RECEIVED
- Christian Brothers High School Lewisham (Primary section) packed and delivered gifts for 171 residents without family in 7 aged care facilities and 11 group homes
- St Therese Primary, Mascot provided gifts for 105 residents in two large aged care facilities
- Mount St Joseph, Milperra provided gifts for 52 residents without family support in two aged care facilities
- Corpus Christi Primary, St Ives provided gifts for 49 residents in two assisted boarding houses.
- St Anthony’s Primary School Clovelly and Our Lady of the Rosary Primary school at Kensington, Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary at Hurstville donated toiletries
- Parishoners from and visitors to St Patrick’s Church Hill donated $39,829.65
- Michael Whelan SM, parish priest, the Marist community and the parish team were deeply supportive of our Christmas project again this year. They have been our greatest supporters for well over 20 years.
- Individual donors sent $2500
- Petersham RSL Club donated $1,000
- Marion Court Units donated tinned food and a donation
- The owner of Priceline Marrickville Metro Pharmacy donated 200 each of a range of toiletries. Staff helped find the best price for perfume and aftershave. Alex delivered carloads of toiletries.
- Rhonda and Tony Tanti organised a food drive at St Joachim’s parish at Lidcombe. This was strongly supported by Fr Epeli.
- MacKillop Grange Retirement Village donated a large amount of tinned food for hampers and individual donations. April O’Shea and Caroline Grace , in administration, were most helpful and supportive, liaising with Bernadette O’Sullivan RSJ, who is a resident
- Rhonda and Tony tanti worked tirelessly to order and secure delivery of groceries, then sort, stack and pack hampers.
- Michael and Tony Holland worked on packing parcels
- John Star, Elizabeth Croucher and Tricia Merrs helped pack parcels and hampers
- Kathy Wilson wrote names on all 805 labels for the gift parcels.
- Tricia Meers spoke at all morning Masses at St Patrick’s on Dec 3rd and Rhonda Tanti spoke at afternoon Masses.
- Members of the mental health and drugs health teams worked on packing hampers and assisted in delivering them.
- Tricia and Bernadette O’Sullivan SJ cooked Christmas puddings.
- Kathy Wilson and Ann Tegg decorated the carport.
- Tony and Rhonda Tanti drove across Sydney delivering gift parcels. They also took parcels to Umina. Michael Holland delivered a carload of gift parcels to Katoomba aged care and group homes. John Star delivered gifts to Southern Highlands Disability Trust at Goulburn and Mittagong and Rosnel Boarding House at Bundanoon. Tony Holland and Maureen Teagle also delivered parcels across Sydney.
- Phyllis and Mark Coghlin took down the decorations and stored items for next year.
- Christmas Day – John Star, Michael and Tony Holland, Monica Teo, Rhonda and Tony and Eloise Tanti organized and ran it all, in conjunction with Myree. Three young Indonesians: Mario Ekartra, Niki Jayanthi and Fiena Kathariena were great workers. They took photos in front of our Christmas tree to send family back in Indonesia where they belong to the Catholic community. Kate and her son Mick also helped.
CHRISTMAS CARDS
Bernadette Chad prepared the data-base and checked names over six months.
Bernadette Chad and George Harris sorted, packaged and re-posted or delivered many thousands of Christmas cards addressed to 805 people in 66 facilities. They drove around or walked to nearby places to deliver some of them. They did this during the whole of December.
Thank you to everyone who participated.
Myree Harris RSJ
31 December 2023