In January 2021, Caritas Plymouth received a further £40,000 from the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation for a short-term Crisis Fund to be allocated by the end of June 2021. This followed an earlier grant in 2020. We are incredibly grateful 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’ Mark 12:31 and to reach out to those who are struggling, particularly during the pandemic.
As with the previous grant, the funding was distributed in partnership with the Catholic Children’s Society (Plymouth) and had two elements:
- Emergency grants (non-cash) to individuals and families for the purchase of essential items (white goods/furniture etc.) delivered through the Catholic Children’s Society (Plymouth) (CCSP).
- A food poverty fund administered by Caritas Plymouth. In distributing funds, we worked through our partners (predominantly parishes and schools) in reaching the most vulnerable.
The total number of families supported through this funding has been 395 and the total number of people reached (both individuals and families) is just over 2000. We know that many families are struggling at this time. As one grant recipient said ‘I just wanted to share our appreciation for the supermarket vouchers… they have been a huge help to our family. During the lockdown periods my husband was off work… and we were worrying about paying our rent, putting food on the table, milk for the babies, nappies etc… thanks once again.’
We give our thanks to the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation for their generous support in enabling us to reach out to those in need across our Diocese.