She’ll turn up bearing gifts on her very own sled… or rather in a van carrying about 600 Christmas presents for the people attending the Archbishop’s Christmas lunch at the Curia in Floriana today.
The meal will feed families who can’t afford to buy Christmas fare and will provide company to those who would otherwise be alone today. A total of 550 guests are expected to attend.
Watching the Caritas telethon at the beginning of December that raised funds for the event, Donna Carabott Pullicino’s husband noted that those attending ought to be given a small gift as well.
“I agreed and it led me to start collecting gifts for the day,” Carabott Pullicino told Times of Malta yesterday.
The 32-year-old primary school teacher, who is out on a year’s sabbatical, made use of her contacts and got St Monica primary school in Gżira and the primary school in Żejtun to take part in her project. The Dingli girls MUSEUM also gave a helping hand.
Two friends, Robert Abela and Rina Grima, helped to look for people willing to donate gifts. They found three businesses, Migmar Bazaar, D Borg Construction and JB jeans, as well as an individual donor, Theresa Calleja, all willing to contribute.
The roughly 600 gifts collected mean that all those attending the Christmas lunch will not only go away on a full stomach but carrying a gift as well.
"The Caritas-led event is not the only Christmas day initiative of the Church’s social wing. About 300 meals will be delivered to people who are housebound and volunteers will be visiting another 200 people with a small gift as a way to combat loneliness"
“The gifts vary from towels and socks to shower gels and scented candles,” Carabott Pullicino said.
She will be arriving at the Curia at 11am to hand out the presents.
The Archbishop’s Christmas meal is back after two years, when pandemic restrictions prevented mass gatherings.
The Caritas-led event is not the only Christmas day initiative of the Church’s social wing. About 300 meals will be delivered to people who are housebound and volunteers will be visiting another 200 people with a small gift as a way to combat loneliness.
Around 200 volunteers, including residents of the Caritas drug rehabilitation centre, have been powering the Christmas meal efforts, decorating and preparing logistics, and will be on hand to help out today.