For this week’s film, we spent a day at St Catherine’s Church and Centre in Wakefield as part of our year long campaign to celebrate all that we are and all that we do here in the Diocese of Leeds.
It has been running an emergency food store for those in the city and beyond for over five years – and has regular arrangements with a variety of local supermarkets and other businesses and organisations.
And with winter just around the corner, St Catherine’s Church and Centre is asking for donations to boost its emergency food store.
But St Catherine’s is much more than a food bank. It has its own café which runs five days a week; it offers holiday clubs to feed the hungry gap some families might experience during the schools holidays; a day centre offering arts, crafts and a meeting place for the elderly; a community choir which is open to anyone for free choir and music singing every Thursday; a gardening club; creative writing sessions and a Recovery Café every Thursday for anyone aged over 18 with mental health issues where they meet and share a meal together.
It is open for prayer every day and offers worship three times a week and every Christmas it opens its doors for a Christmas dinner for those more vulnerable families which includes a visit from Father Christmas and presents for all the children.
St Catherine's latest project is Nourishment: a range of teas, facial, body oils and pot pourri inspired by mental health issues - and it is hoping to launch this in the new year.
Shopping list for foodbank: UHT milk; tinned fish. tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned potatoes, rice pudding, pasta sauce, instant mash, coffee, tinned beans, tinned pasta, tinned soup, dried pasta, rice sugar, cereal, teabags.
St Catherines Church and Centre is on Doncaster Road, Belle Vue, Wakefield, WF1 5HL
01924 211130. For anyone wanting to enquire about volunteering opportunities or food donations.
[video://https://youtu.be/NAjmHkENwdk]