Mother’s Meal Programme Launched in Macau
Mother’s Meal program was launched in Macau on the feast of St Mother Teresa, the champion of the poor and the hungry. Macau is the first international destination for the Mother’s Meal movement, a Family to Family Support initiative to ensure food in every family facing the COVID economic crisis.
Claretians in Macau distributed Survival Food Kit to 50 migrant families to inaugurate the Mother’s Meal program in Macau. Fr Jijo Kandamkulathy cmf, a founder member of the Mother’s Meal program, took the initiative to reach out to 50 most vulnerable families in Macau with a 25 US Dollar kit, to supplement the family provisions.
The Claretian support group mobilised the amount required for the kits from among themselves. The concept of Mother’s Meal is that families that can afford to support another family in distress, come forward to provide a sustained help for a year. Bishop of Macau Stephen Lee Bun Sang also came forward to provide financial assistance to the new initiative to enable families to survive the COVID times. Ms Terry, who coordinated the program said,”each of these families are selected on the basis of their socio-economic struggles. They really deserve our support.”
Speaking virtually on the occasion to the group from Bangalore, Fr George Kannanthanam, the Founder of Mother’s Meal program said, “today is the feast of St Mother Teresa. She said, if we cannot feed 100 people, let us feed at least one person.” Fr George said that Mother’s Meal was a realisation of that dream of Mother Teresa.
Mother’s Meal was started on 16th July with just five families, on the occasion of the 50th Jubilee of the Claretian presence in India. It was expanded to 1000 families across every state and Union Territory in India on 15th August in 55 locations. With a focus on the families with people with disabilities, terminal illness, widows and elderly people without any support, Mother’s Meal is designed to be a refuge for the most vulnerable families who struggle to survive due to the COVID times.
Fr Jijo said “there are many more families who require support. We will extend the program to more people, as we find out the families in need.” Fr Jijo has planned for various fundraising programs to raise support for the movement to support more families.
Mother’s Meal, started by a group of socially committed individuals, as a project of Hope Society, plans to take the movement to more destinations across the world, based on the need in various places. Mr Sibu George, Coordinator of the program said, ”There are requests coming from Srilanka and some other countries in Africa. We are waiting for financial resources and some good organization to implement the program effectively.”
Jijo Kandamkulathy cmf
CLARETIAN PUBLICATIONS
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Fr George Kannanthanam
Founder Director
Mother’s Meal
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