SVP in Halesowen secures a £5,000 grant to help keep feeding families
Families in need will continue to be supported by the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) in Halesowen after it was awarded a £5,000 grant.
Our Lady and St Kenelm St Vincent de Paul Society Conference in the West Midlands was one of 15 UK charities, working for the common good, to receive an award from The Charles Plater Trust (CPT).
Earlier this week the CPT awarded grants worth £442,800 at its annual Grant Awards Celebration at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
The Trust, which was established in 2006, has awarded more than £3 million to UK charities to date.
It is an independent Catholic grant-making charity that exists to enable those who are serving the common good to make an even greater difference.
Mike Weaver, president of the parish SVP conference, attended the event in Liverpool.
Solemn Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral Crypt and offered for all charities in England and Wales working for domestic social justice, especially the 2023 recipients of the CPT awards.
Mike was invited to address those gathered at the ceremony and outlined the work of the SVP in Halesowen.
“We supply supermarket vouchers or food parcels to families and individuals who are unable to meet their living costs,” explained Mike.
“Loughborough University recently reported that across the UK last year more than 1 in 4 children were living in poverty. In Birmingham and the Black Country the figure is nearer 1 in 2. Of those children living below the poverty line around 70% live in a family where at least one adult is working. Employment is in many cases not a simple route out of poverty. Low pay and insecure work are big issues for many families.
“The good that comes from the Charles Plater Trust’s charitable work shines through Anna’s story:
‘“I am a mum of two children aged five and six. My first son has been diagnosed with autism. It has been a very challenging situation for me to manage both boys with the money I am getting from asylum support.
The vouchers I received from the SVP has really helped me and my boys go a long way to meet some of our demands. I am really grateful to God for letting the SVP come to our aid. May God bless and protect all of you for your kind support toward me and my family”’.
Speaking shortly after the awards celebration, CPT Manager, Philomena Cullen said: “Charities and churches are at the frontline of the challenges facing our country, so we are delighted to welcome 15 new charity partners to the Plater Trust family.”
Main photograph: Mike Weaver with Bishop Richard Moth, Chair of the Charles Plater Trust.
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