Volunteering at CARIS Haringey
A couple of weeks ago Peter and I were invited to help to pack and distribute summer activity packs to the families CARIS Haringey is supporting. During August most years CARIS Haringey has a one week summer camp for the whole family, with a range of activities. It is an important part of the support they give their families, who don’t get away for a summer holiday. But this year because of Covid 19 and the need for social distancing this wasn’t possible. CARIS therefore decided to give each family an activity pack. They also wanted to give each family something that children could work on. Bettina Schmidgall, in our congregation, came up with the creative idea of Ikea lap trays, which many of you donated towards. Other members of the congregation donated items or money towards goodies for the activity packs.
All the families that CARIS supports were invited to get an activity pack, not just the families who have no recourse to public funds. We made up over 100 packs! Peter pumped up 100 footballs, with the help of Oscar and Cecily, who are friends of Ruth, one of the volunteers. Amongst other things he also had to unravel 100 whistles on strings that had somehow got tangled up. I made up parcels with balls, bats, chalks, stickers, writing materials, games, books, sweets, hand sanitiser, and other fun items. After the packs had been made up (and our backs were aching) we had lunch and a chat with the rest of the team, more than half of whom volunteer each week. I spoke to Amy who runs the knitting group at St Ann’s, where the food bank is temporarily based. They made colourful knitted shapes, which they tied to the railings outside their shut church, till someone stole them! I also chatted to Ruth who runs a Coffin Club and Death Cafe and does Humanist funeral services. She had encouraged Oscar and Cecily to come along.
p>After lunch the families arrived. It was so super to see how excited the children were to receive the packs and the trays and a hula hoop for each child (In the photos you can see the activity packs and the folded Ikea trays and hula hoops)
Each time I go to the foodbank at CARIS Haringey, I am so pleased that they are one of the charities that we support