Living their lives inspired by the school motto, ‘Serviam: I will serve’, the ex-students will assist volunteers from St Ursula’s as well as Our Lady of Fatima Primary School in Kingsgrove, providing meals to those in need.
The brainchild of Paul and Diana Mackin, born from the idea to provide a one-off Christmas meal, One Meal has grown into a recurring program that makes a difference at a grassroots level across Sydney.
St Ursula’s College started the One Meal journey in 2018, supporting the Riverwood service coordinated by Our Lady of Fatima Peakhurst Parish.
Since then, their involvement has grown from serving around 65 guests once a term, to helping provide 40 meals a week through the new One Meal Kingsgrove service which operates out of the Clune Centre at Our Lady of Fatima Church on Shaw Street, Kingsgrove, on Wednesday evenings.
Any meals left over from the service are delivered to the Vinnies Men’s refuge in Liverpool.
Antoinette Nader, who coordinates the One Meal program at St Ursula’s, says the service addresses a need to provide healthy and nutritious meals, along with companionship, to the vulnerable within the Kingsgrove community.
“It shows that there is real need here and there is something practical we can do. The meal itself is the avenue for human connection. Providing a meal not only alleviates people’s immediate needs but shows that everyone is a valued member of our community,” she said.
“I have always known we are a generous and giving community – so I knew this would be well received; I was humbled by how quickly people signed up and I am thankful for the time, energy and love they will give to the people we serve.
“I am especially grateful to the ex-students for volunteering; they are wonderful role models.”
Find out more about St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove at stursulakingsgrove.org. Follow One Meal Kingsgrove on Instagram at @onemealkingsgrove for news and service updates.
