THE homeless and the elderly have always held a special place in the hearts of members of the Holy Cross Church in Half-Way-Tree, and in keeping with the season, the church feted about 200 of them last weekend at a special dinner.

Instead of taking meals to them in downtown Kingston as they do every fortnight, the church invited some of them to share in a Christmas meal with a few of the parishioners on their premises. It’s something that is done every holiday and has become a highly anticipated event for those who have no family to share with during the festive season.

“What we do is that we bring them together into the Carter Hall (at the church) every Christmas and we cook a meal for them. We put them around the table set up lovely, with knife and fork and plates, where they sit down, they eat, have a nice meal and we entertain them and we also give them some food packages as well to take home for Christmas,” explained the church’s priest, father Donald Chamber, who adds that the invited guests are also given an opportunity to select clothing from those donated by parishioners.

“You can see the joy on their faces, for example, when they are going through their clothes,” he said. “Some of them pick out clothes for their children and they are just ecstatic, they feel at home.”

This special treat is an expansion of the church’s regular feeding programme, which sees members visiting areas such as Cross Roads and downtown Kingston to feed the homeless twice per month. The project is done in collaboration with the Stella Maris Church, which ensures that the homeless are fed the remaining two weeks each month.

Father Chambers said that while some of the members were apprehensive about interacting with the street people at first, given the fact that some are mentally challenged, the group gradually warmed up. Now they look forward to interacting with those less fortunate, and by all accounts, the homeless are just as eager to see them.

“I have gone on several occasions, and it’s amazing. You will drive down there (downtown) and the streets are empty, because these guys know where to go. But the moment we park that van, you will see people like ants, just come out of the woodworks,” the priest shared with the Sunday Observer recently.

Apart from the serving of meals to the homeless, the church, through it’s St Vincent de Paul Society, also provides grocery packages to the elderly and the indigent each week. Some of these individuals also get a small stipend to assist with the purchase of medication, small items, or for transportation.

“Some of them are also home bound, they cannot come out on a regular basis, so we take the food package or the financial package to them,” said Father Chamber.

The society also started the Ozanam Home for the Aged on Mannings Hill Road, to provide a safe and stable environment for the elderly. Although there is a small fee required for residents’ upkeep, the church finds sponsors for those who are unable to pay.

“Persons, for example, who can no longer care for themselves, or their family cannot care for them, they can go into this home,” the priest said.

Funds to carry out these projects are collected by the church every fifth Sunday in the year and turned over to the St Vincent de Paul Society, which undertakes various social outreach projects.

The church also assists with the purchase of medication for those in need. Because of an existing agreement with the nearby York Pharmacy, individuals who come to Holy Cross for help with filling prescriptions are sent to the pharmacy, which then bills the church.

“There are people here who have health issues; it is tremendous and they just cannot afford it. Even though the free health care is at the hospitals, in many instances, the hospitals do not have the drugs,” he said.

Given the demand for health treatment, the church also hosts an annual health fair, which sees them partnering with agencies such as the Jamaica Cancer Society, the Blood Bank, various pharmaceutical companies and other public sector companies to carry out free screenings for various ailments. Doctors and nurses in the parish also volunteer their time to ensure the success of the fair.

The next step for the church is to restart their skills training programme, which has been put on hold for some time. Father Chamber said that instead of offering courses such as floral arrangement and baking as they did in the past, students will be trained in Computer Studies and Hotel Management. This programme will be done in collaboration with the Heart Trust/NTA and the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning.

Although the programmes offered by the church are costly, Father Chamber believes the smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries and the gratitude expressed by some are priceless.

“We are in Half-Way-Tree; this is the crossroads of the city. Many people traverse this area and if we are going to be a church that is truly relevant, then we have to cater to the needs of the people around,” he said.