Cabin crew help needy

Sydney
9 December 2001

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Cabin crew help needy

Chris McGee with helpers from Santa Sabina College

By Kathleen Carmody

Qantas cabin crew staff will join school students and parishioners around Sydney in contributing to the Centacare Christmas Hamper Drive to help Australians doing it tough this festive season.

Around 500 hampers packed with such goodies as ham, Christmas cake, pudding, nuts or lollies, and other foodstuffs, as well as individual gifts, will be distributed to Centacare’s struggling clients, including families, the aged, people with disabilities and dis advantaged youth.

Centacare’s Chris McGee, who organises the Christmas hamper drive, said she wanted to thank the many volunteers who contributed year after year.

Centacare’s clients were always overwhelmed to receive the hampers, which were sometimes valued at as much as $100.

“These families usually do not have a very high income and are appreciative of receiving a hamper at Christmas which enables their families to celebrate Christmas with wonderful food and quality toys,” Ms McGee said.

Students at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield have been involved with stocking and packing hampers for Centacare’s Early Childhood Intervention Program for seven years.

The students not only provide the food and gifts, but always go to the trouble of beautifully decorating and presenting the hampers.

The Early Childhood Intervention Program is a family-centred, home-based service for children aged 0–6 years who need assistance in more than one area of development.

The program provides special assistance to very young children to help them to develop physical, intellectual and emotional skills.

Centacare’s clients in the Young Women’s Program and Regional Family Support programs would also benefit from the hamper drive, Ms McGee said.

Other long-time supporters of the drive include Mona Vale parish, Trinity College Auburn and Regent’s Park, various Marist Colleges around Sydney, and St Ignatius College Riverview.

Vera Emmi from the Qantas Cabin Crew Team said Qantas staff would be providing presents for Centacare’s children’s programs, as well as donating high quality food to be included in the hampers.

The Cabin Crew Team, which has been supporting children’s charities around the world for more than 30 years, has a history of giving generously at Christmas she said, with individual gifts often valued at more than $20. Compact discs, jewellery, basketballs, hair products and accessories are just some of the presents children can expect to wake up to on Christmas morning.