REACHING OUT

BETTY-ANN KAMP AND CHRIS GRACE

We can sometimes think to ourselves that “people who receive food parcels don’t budget properly – they just need to be taught how to budget and this will fix the problem.”

While budgeting advice is often the first initiative undertaken by budget mentors at Catholic Family Support Services (CFSS) the reality is that each situation is different. Family issues may need to be uncovered and resolved before any budgeting programme can be introduced. A high proportion of CFSS’s clients, and their families and whānau, continue to operate under pressure and despair. They tend to experience not only financial hardship

(especially around housing) but also job insecurity, mental health issues, and ongoing family harm and violence. The funding CFSS receives from Common Good Foundation helps alleviate some of the stress and pressures on our most vulnerable people through the provision of effective counselling and associated wrap-around services.

Education of youth who have made bad choices or who have dropped out of schooling was a focus for several front-line charities supported by Common Good Foundation: One Chance (Rotorua), Te Rongopai Community Trust (Hamilton), Hope Rising Farm Charitable

Trust (Ngāruawāhia), Youth Encounter Ministries (Te Puke), and Taku Wairua (Morrinsville). Their various programmes help young people build self-esteem and confidence, gain a sense of belonging and connectedness, learn effective goal setting, and participate in pre-employment programs – all great outcomes.

Common Good Foundation has also funded young children through programmes such as KiwiCan, which is offered by the Graeme Dingle Foundation in communities faced with high social deprivation. These children may be exposed to family harm, suicide, or dysfunctional family members. KiwiCan is well regarded, with many school principals noting a marked improvement in social interactions and an increased interest in learning in course participants.

Common Good Foundation has provided financial support to a parish-initiated programme at the Parish of Tongariro Catholic in Taupō: providing three-course meals and fellowship to local people in need. Parish volunteers also delivered multiple loads of firewood to those struggling over winter. In In Gisborne, the foundation backed the newly opened Stella Maris Early Childhood Centre with a grant to help with the set up of the centre. The youth choir at the Parish of St Thomas Aquinas, Tauranga, was also assisted. As part of its outreach, concerts at the local rest homes were particularly welcomed.

There were many other charities supported directly through Common Good Foundation’s 2021 funding round. For more information check out www.commongood.org. nz/support-us-item/previous-recipients

We are all called as Christians to be a companion to others who are struggling on their life journey. It is through our compassion towards others that we can build a better place for all and provide a safe and caring environment so that others may have hope. Common Good Foundation is grateful to all our donors and supporters for your huge generosity over the past year. Your direct support has enabled us to partner with other charities and groups working with families, children, youth, migrants, and other vulnerable peoples throughout the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton. We have helped countless people to not only survive but more importantly to thrive.