Students from St Anne’s School Harvey have been volunteering alongside staff and parents to prepare meals and share them with up to 150 Perth residents
The Harvey Community Dinner is held on Mondays and has been going for several years, first as a sit-down dinner, but is now takeaway-only since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The students are part of Mini Vinnies, a school program run by Vinnies WA, which teaches kids to become advocates for social justice and take an active role in their community.
The students have now been recognised for their efforts by receiving the Catholic Identity award for primary schools, which is part of the Quality Catholic Education Awards.
“It’s an acknowledgement of what the community is able to do, and it teaches the students to see that it’s good to help people in need,” said teacher at St Anne’s and organiser of Mini Vinnies, Leanne Pronk.
She said the students – all from years four, five and six – are involved in the community dinner by helping their parents prepare the meals at the Parish Hall, usually on a Sunday.
Before the dinners became takeaway-only, the Mini Vinnies participants would also help set and clear the tables.
Ms Pronk said that while the dinners were a whole-of-community effort, she is proud that the students have been recognised for their own contributions.
“It’s about giving back to the community, and it opens the children’s eyes to being able to give something back themselves,” she said.
In the lead-up the Christmas, this spirit of community is a timely reminder that there are countless WA families facing the prospect of a bleak Christmas as they struggle to pay their bills, provide food and gifts for their children, or worse, find somewhere safe to call home.
That’s why every year, Vinnies WA asks the community for support with its annual Christmas Appeal.
Only with the support of the WA community can Vinnies ensure many families across Western Australia will wake on Christmas morning with the renewed sense of hope and dignity that everyone deserves.
To donate and help make a positive difference in these young people’s lives, visit https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-wa/christmas-appeal-wa or call 13 18 12.