REVERSE ADVENT PROJECT

Blackburn Hamlet is part of the larger city of Orleans, Ontario and our Life Centre Food Bank services many families in our area. I was advised a few years ago that shelves were basically depleted after the holidays and donations dwindled in January.

In October 2018, I came across an article on Facebook that caught my attention and I brought it to our Conference. The idea was that we could fill the new year’s shelves through a Reverse Advent Project.

In general, the idea was that during Advent, notices in our parish bulletin would encourage parishioners to set aside one non-perishable item a day (either purchased or from their own cupboard). The item could be food, condiments, or items such as shampoo, toiletries or baby items; or if they preferred, a monetary donation to the Society would be welcomed too. Also, regular encouragement of participation was written into our moderator notes, read before each mass every Sunday in December.

Our first Reverse Advent Project was a tremendous success! Our donations were estimated at over 2,100 lbs! One of our local real estate agents provides a free truck for any charitable work and we reserved it for a day soon after New Year’s. Needless to say, our Food Bank was overjoyed! Our parishioners were incredibly generous and are looking forward to this year’s Advent project.

Our Vincentians are amazing! I have only been involved with our Conference since moving into the parish 2 years ago. They are incredibly generous with their love, time and devotion to the families we help, and to the mandate of this Society. This project has been an enriching and inspirational endeavor. As with any project we are involved in such as North of 60, the Day of the Poor, the Christmas Angel Tree or this Advent Project, the satisfaction we feel and the appreciation we have toward each other for a job well done encourages us to give 100% to whatever we commit to.

Attached are examples of OUR November bulletin submissions to get you started! Please feel free to amend them in any way you wish.