Strengthening Our Anglican Connections
By Anglican Family Care | Posted: Monday December 14, 2020
As we start to think about the next 50 years and how we continue to deliver quality social services in Otago, sustainability is more than just a buzz word within our sector right now – in fact it’s a reality, and a necessity as we consider how the agency responds to a global pandemic, and the impact of reduced community giving.
An immediate COVID-19 casualty was the decision of the board to cancel our planned November street appeal this year, due to the uncertainty of alert levels and the safety and well-being of volunteers, who we strongly rely upon to help with collections. In spite of everything, we would like to thank our referrers, volunteers, and all our supporters, including Selwyn College, St Hilda’s Collegiate School and the Diocese of Dunedin, for continuing to support us during this challenging year.
AGM at St Matthew’s Church
With COVID-19 alert levels fluctuating and varying restrictions in place, social distancingbecame a word we became all too familiar with.We needed to find a venue large enough to ensure we could do this effectively and safely, and were grateful St Matthew’s opened their doors for us. The character and atmosphere ofSt Matthew’s proved a delightful space to stay connected to our wonderful friends and supporters.
Selwyn College
Throughout the year, Selwyn College has provided support in multiple ways. Starting with a group of students who volunteered their services and washed our Dunedin fleet cars and building windows, they then implemented a fundraising campaign so we could pass on food vouchers for families who were impacted by the lockdown, and have recently donated nearly $1,000 worth of grocery vouchers for those families who are struggling at Christmas.
St Hilda’s Collegiate School
In August, our Caregiver Liaison Social Worker Rose visited St Hilda’s and talked to the students about our Respite Caregiving service and a new initiative for the students to get behind; collecting a range of resources for caregiver activity packs to help enrich the lives of children in respite care.
Through their whānau groups, St Hilda’s pupils embraced the challenge set by AFC, the generosity of the students and their families has been overwhelming.
