Caring cafe culture

STUDENTS from St Peter’s College in Cranbourne can now add ‘cafe’ to their long list of high school subjects.
St Peter’s College, in conjunction with the City Life Café in Frankston, is part of an initiative in which students from the school undertake volunteering shifts at the café every week.
City Life is a ground level organization that facilitates food and accommodation for the needy, with the café producing more than 100 meals for those who are underprivileged.
Tim Hogan, principal of St Peter’s College, said the school had a responsibility to not only teach students about faith but also to enable them to experience living faith.
“Inspired by our belief in the Gospel values we provide a number of outreach opportunities that encourage our students to reach out to those in need,” Mr Hogan said.
The initiative, which takes place every Thursday night, was started by St Peter’s staff member Martin McGrath and student Brittany Hay, who served as Social Justice Captain in 2011.
Mr McGrath co-ordinates the students who wish to volunteer and briefs them on what will be required each night, as well as what to expect during their time at City Life cafe.
April Hampson, St Peter’s College marketing officer, was especially impressed with how the students immersed themselves in the City Life initiative.
“They were adequately briefed and within minutes were not only comfortable themselves but were able to make those less fortunate than them comfortable within the café,” she said.
“I was inspired and humbled by their commitment to this cause.”
Annette Depasquala, one of the most recent St Peter’s students to undertake a shift at the City Life Café has now volunteered six times.
”I really enjoy it, seeing how others are forced by circumstance to live, what their lifestyle is like and being able to at least in some small way contribute to making things a little better,” she said.
“I know some of the clients by their first name and am slowly building some kind of relationship with them.”