St Mary’s RC Primary School is proud to be part of the SVP family as a Mini Vinnies school. Here at St Mary’s we have a group of 25 pupils who help lead the school with its vision to turn concern into action. Our Mini Vinnies role is to help people in our local parish and community who are poor, lonely or in need by dedicating our time to raise money for and spend time with those who need it most. We begin each session by saying a prayer and reading our pledge.
Our Mini Vinnies pledge is to:
· Treating others the way I would like them to treat me
· Caring for, respecting and loving myself
· Strengthening my friendship with Jesus by talking to him each day and talking to others about him
· Caring for others in my school and community by being a friend to those who are alone, in need or in trouble
· Making my family happy by my help, respect and showing kindness and consideration
· Caring for and enjoying God’s world
As October was the traditional time of year for the Harvest Festival and for collecting food, the Mini Vinnies followed in the footsteps of St Vincent de Paul by helping people in our local community by collecting for the Middleton Foodbank. A total of over 300 items were collected! Thank you to all those who kindly donated. We collected enough food to make 303 meals.
During November, we got together to discuss who needs our help in our local community. Some of the Mini Vinnies, who are also in the school choir, went to Tesco to spread joy and Christmas cheer. We also created Christmas cards and board games to take to our local care home, unfortunately this has been re-arranged for the new year but we cannot wait to visit those who are lonely in the community.
In December, the Mini Vinnies signed up to take part in the Reindeer Run for Springhill Hospice. We spoke with Jenna, who is the fundraising officer, and she provided us with 480 pairs of antlers and sponsorship envelopes to raise money for Springhill Hospice.
The whole school took part in the event which was an incredible success!
Mini Vinnies visit to Langfield Care Home, Spring Term 2024
Our Mini Vinnies followed up the choir’s visit to the local care homes by spending the afternoon playing games and talking to the elderly and vulnerable of our local community. Everyone had a wonderful time and residents have requested a return visit alongside the choir next time!
