When lockdown began in March 2020, our community at the Bar Convent began to “attend” Mass by livestream. We joined our local parishes as well as other places. As time went on, all shops except food suppliers, places of hospitality etc. were closed, it became obvious that people were losing their jobs. Families were in need of food so our 2 local priests, Fr. John Bane and Fr. Tony Lester set up a food bank in our local primary school of Our Lady and English Martyrs. At Mass they announced the needs of many people so we responded as a community and began to supply food. Because we provide refreshments both at our Guest House and in St. Bede’s Pastoral centre, we began to realise that foodstuffs were beginning to come to the end of their sell by date. With the food which the community was buying, more was added from our two other sources which amounted to quite a lot of food.
Here we are now a year later and the food bank is still operating. The school welcomes supplies on a Thursday between 8.45 and 9.45. When I first went to the school there was hardly any traffic on the road. At present the traffic flows even though we are still in our 2nd lockdown. We opened up the Guest House in May and we were able to welcome visitors up until Christmas. Then we had to close again in January and we are still closed, not opening up again until mid- May. Our supplies will be out of date by then that is sachets of tea, coffee, sugar and hot chocolate with biscuits as well as toiletries. The whole lot was packed up last Thursday and were very well received by the school Nothing goes to waste. The community have been most generous in buying food for those in need. It is a small gesture but it is a way we can help, as we are an older community and restricted in our movements.
We are thankful now to have had the vaccination and we look forward to welcoming our visitors back to the Bar Convent but we will continue to support our local food bank.
Ann Stafford CJ – The Bar Convent