Help make Easter special by feeding poor families
St Vincent de Paul collecting for care packages
St Vincent de Paul (b April 24 1581, d Septebmer 27 1660) was a French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the local galley slaves. After working for some time in Paris among imprisoned slaves, he was promoted to the role of superior of what is now known as the Congregation of the Mission, or the “Vincentians” (in France known as “Lazaristes”).
These priests, with vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability, were to devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages.
De Paul was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse and ignorance among members. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries, and was founder of the Congregation of the Mission and Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
De Paul has a charity named after him by Blessed Frédéric Ozanam. He was renowned for his compassion, humility, and generosity.
He was canonized in 1737 and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
The International Society of St Vincent de Paul was started in Paris in 1833 by De Paul, Ozanam and a few colleagues with a mission to support the poor in their area.
Today it operates in 153 countries with 48,000 local groups, known as conferences, and approximately 800,000 members.
Each conference is normally linked to a local Catholic Church although its membership, while faith-based, is not limited to Catholics. Each conference is self-sufficient and relies solely on donations from the local community and other benefactors.
The local St James Port Alfred conference was established in 2004 and has been feeding and supporting the poor in the region, people of all races and creeds.
Their area of operation ranges from Alexandria, through Kenton and Port Alfred to Bathurst.
The core of our operation and the bulk of our expenditure is the provision of regular monthly food parcels to dozens of struggling families in
these areas.
Bulk food and gas is also provided to Siyazama and Phumelela ECD schools on a regular basis to feed the children every day, for many the only meal of the day.
The Jehovah Jireh Haven orphanage in Alexandria is also supported on a monthly basis.
Seasonal activities include:
Christmas gift collections for needy families via the churches
Easter care packs collection and distribution A winter blanket and clothing drive Annual provision of school uniforms and shoes to needy learners of local schools.
Special projects are undertaken from time to time as requested and funded by our benefactors. In the past, this has included providing computers to a school library, wheelchairs, rehabilitating a burnt-out shack and providing water tanks to a school.
With Easter coming up soon, the organisation would like to give food parcels away to people in need and are asking for donations from members of the community.
Items needed include:
250g Ricoffy
1kg rice
400g peanut butter
1kg sugar
1kg hand washing powder
Packet of biscuits
Items can be dropped off at the TOTT offices.