The Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth received £40,000 from the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation in June 2020 for a short–term Crisis Fund to support people struggling as a result of Covid-19. These funds have now been fully spent.
Caritas Plymouth worked in partnership with the Catholic Children’s Society (Plymouth) to provide emergency grants to individuals and families for the purchase of essential items (white goods/furniture etc) and to operate a food poverty fund, distributed through our partners working directly with people affected by Covid-19.
460 families received some support during this time and the total number of people reached was over 2000. The funding was distributed as direct grants to individual families; through food vouchers or food parcels distributed by Plymouth Diocesan schools and other partners; and through provision of meals. The funding was open to people of all faiths and none.
Bishop Mark O’Toole recently addressed a Diocesan event to prepare for World Day of the Poor which takes place on 15 November: ‘As Pope Francis said recently in his new Encyclical, “we are all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all” (Fratelli Tutti, par 32). It is that sense of solidarity, of common fraternity, that I think is important to highlight during this time of global pandemic. At a time when the country is facing perhaps long months of restrictions and limited social interaction, it is more important than ever to work at staying connected, not just because it is a good thing to do, but because it is fundamentally who we are.’
The Diocese of Plymouth is incredibly grateful to the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation for this generous donation, which enables us to fulfil our vision ‘to live the Gospel by following Christ’s command to love our neighbour as He loved us’ and to reach out to those who need a helping hand.