A group of young people from the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Oxford decided to give something back to their local communities on Annual Global Youth Day (20 March) by donating food and books to employees at Spencer Court Care Home in Woodstock and Isis House Care Centre in Oxford, both operated by The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT).
Annual Global Youth Day is a yearly initiative that encourages young people to reach out and engage with their local community. The group from the church in Oxford decided the teams at the OSJCT care homes should be the beneficiaries of this year’s initiative after seeing the challenges faced by the care sector during the pandemic.
Jody-Ann Chambers from the youth group said: “We wanted to do something that would bring happiness and put a smile on people’s faces and show love, especially during these times when so many have been negatively impacted by this pandemic."
She added: "We hope the teams at the homes will realise we recognise their hard work and commitment, and we appreciate their efforts during these unprecedented times.”
On the day individual meals of chickpea and potato curry with rice and salad, followed by vegan brownies were prepared and packaged by the group, before delivering them to the two homes in time for the teams’ lunch breaks, together with a selection of books.
In line with COVID-19 restrictions, the young people did not enter the homes, and each underwent a lateral flow test the day before the event to ensure the proceedings were as safe as possible.
Spencer Court Head of Care Monika Cembrzynska said: “This was a lovely gesture and gave us the boost we needed. It is great to know people in the community are thinking about us.”