Harvest Fundraising

This Friday 7 October we begin our harvest fundraising with CAFOD Family Fast Day supporting families in Bolivia. During this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has asked us to rediscover the corporal works of mercy, one of which is to feed the hungry. Families in Bolivia face many challenges in growing enough food. It is the poorest country in South America and many Bolivians, especially children, are malnourished. The climate is changing and the weather is unpredictable. Sometimes devastating hailstorms or heavy frosts destroy crops. At other times there is not enough rain. These conditions make it incredibly tough to grow food, meaning many families go hungry.

CAFOD is asking us to ‘Brighten up this Harvest’ so Friday 7 October will be a non-uniform day. We ask that children dress in their brightest clothes and accessories for a suggested donation of £1 to support communities in Bolivia to grow enough food for themselves, by providing seeds and training in farming methods and by teaching people how to build greenhouses.

In recognition of Friday 7 October being Family Fast Day we ask that the junior children give up their morning snack on that day and that the infant children be encouraged to give up a treat at home. All children will be learning about the work of CAFOD at school on this day.

During harvest time, we also support the work of Cornerstone, a day centre in Manchester providing services to adults facing a wide range of social issues including homelessness, poverty, social isolation, poor mental health and substance addiction.

From Monday 17 October until Wednesday 19 October we will be collecting donations of food items – the centre is always very grateful for most tinned foods or dry goods, in particular tea, coffee and corned beef. You can drop your donations off at the classroom or either department office during these times. If you can help with the transportation of goods, please let us know.

Thank you in advance for your generosity. We are always overwhelmed by the support of our families. We look forward to welcoming parents to the Junior Harvest Mass on Wednesday 19 October at 9:05am and the parents of Mr.Nicholls’ class to the Harvest Liturgy on the same morning.