Caring for those living in poverty, both in our local neighbourhoods and throughout the world, is a fundamental duty of us all. By living out the option for the poor through our loving and practical actions we can affect real change to the lives of others.
Want to know more? Have a look at our CST info page on standing for those in poverty.
IDEA: Bake a sweet treat (cake, cookies etc) and deliver it to a local soup kitchen.
Find your nearest soup kitchen, call up and tell them your delivering food for that evening, buy or collect your ingredients and get to work!
Bring an adult if you are under the age of 18!
IDEA: Volunteer at the local soup kitchen of food bank. Call up and ask if they need an extra pair of hands.
Go on your own, bring friends if you need encouragement, or an adult if you are under 18. Help serve hot food and drinks to those that need it. Lend a supportive hand and listen to them, you might even be able to beat them at a game of cards. Get Involved!
IDEA: Organise a winter clothes drive to collect coats, hats, scarves and gloves to be donated
Put out a poster in your school, church or local community, encourage people you know to raid their wardrobes for unwanted items. Get your friends to help, lead by example! Which local charities need your donations?
IDEA: Do a sleep out to raise awareness
Ask your community to join you, gather cardboard and a sleeping bag, wrap up warm and experience a night away from home comforts to see how the other half live. Can you join a local event?
IDEA: Invite a charity into your school/parish/or community and ask them to speak to your peers about the issue of people living in poverty
You could invite a local charity, to a national charity like Depaul UK, to come in and talk about the services and support they give to those that find themselves in need of help.
IDEA: Do a homeless run around your community
This is an action that can be done year round! Check locally if there are any organised ‘homeless runs’. Fill up a flask with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or even water and go round your local community, and see if they are in need of a drink. It is essential to do this action in pairs, or get a group together and set of on an agreed route. Don’t forget to bring an adult along if members of the group are under 18.
IDEA: Campaign with CAFOD to highlight the plights of the worlds poorest communities
Use your voice to campaign with CAFOD to raise awareness and help the poorest communities across the globe. Check out the latest campaigns on CAFOD’s website here: https://cafod.org.uk/Campaign
Other useful links:
Cardinal Hume Centre: https://www.cardinalhumecentre.org.uk/
Depaul UK
https://uk.depaulcharity.org
Caritas Social Action Network: http://www.csan.org.uk/
St Vincent De Paul Society: https://www.svp.org.uk/
CAFOD: https://cafod.org.uk/