Will you help our community to gather around the table this Christmas?
Help bring connection to our community at one of the loneliest times of year.
The festive season should be a time of joy and togetherness. But for many of our visitors it’s the loneliest time of the year. We will be busy over the next couple months welcoming over 270 daily visitors through our doors. Seeking essential supplies like hot food and warm showers or simply a hot cuppa and connection with the community. In fact, last year we saw a 117% increase in people needing crisis support during this time and we expect the need this year will only increase.
Christmas is the time when our collective generosity shines out the strongest. Each year, our community comes together to lend a hand to those in need.
With your gift this Christmas, you can ensure everyone can gather around the table this festive season. Please give generously if you can.
“If it wasn’t for Wayside, I don’t even know if Jesse would be here now, to be honest.”
Peter, Jesse's father
Jesse's Story
If you come to a Wayside Chapel’s Community Lunch at either Bondi on Tuesday or Kings Cross on Thursday, you’ll likely bump into Jesse and his dad Peter.
Jesse was about 17 years old when he first came to Wayside. Now 34, he’s been part of the community for half his life.
“When Jesse was growing up, he struggled with Aspergers and Autism and he didn’t have many friends. Lots of people start using drugs because of loneliness,” says Peter.
On some of his roughest days, Jesse survived two overdoses and found himself in and out of jail. “A lot of people said ‘give Jesse the flick’,” says Peter. “But I stuck by him."
In the last couple of years, Jesse has completely turned himself around with the unwavering support of his father, and help from Wayside Chapel.
“If it wasn’t for Wayside, I don’t even know if Jesse would be here now, to be honest,” says Peter.
At what is often the loneliest time of year, and a slippery slope for many people with a history of drug use, Jesse and Peter are happy to have a community to be with at Christmas.
“A lot of the churches and hostels close on Christmas day, but that’s the day when everyone needs them most,” says Peter. “We’ll be at Wayside for Christmas this year.”
“Everyone’s welcome," adds Jesse. "Love over hate.”
Jesse and his father Peter at Wayside's Community Lunch
What does your donation do?
Christmas is a time of giving, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the people who choose to show their generosity at this time.
Your support this Christmas will help us meet the urgent and rising demand for support.
Please give today.
Last year during the Festive season, we welcomed 19,084 visitors to our Kings Cross and Bondi Community Service centers1.
It looked something like this:
12,936 essential items of clothing and bedding
2772 warm showers to people sleeping rough.
20,057 nutritious, low-cost meals
Thanks to you, we're always there to deliver love and connection.
As a frontline organisation, Wayside Chapel plays an essential part in providing unconditional love, care and support for some of Sydney's most vulnerable people. This includes those who are experiencing homelessness and social isolation, and who are facing physical and mental health challenges.
Everyone who walks through our doors is a person to be met, not a problem to be solved.
With your support, we provide a variety of support services that everyone can access on a daily basis. From necessities like shower and toilet facilities, food and clean clothing, to housing support and healthcare, our frontline workers are always there to provide the tailored wrap-around support that people need. Plus, a space where everyone is welcome and can connect with community.
You help us create community with no 'us and them'.
Please make your donation today - Thank you for choosing love over hate.
All donations to Wayside Chapel over $2 are tax-deductible.
If you have any questions or would like to make a donation over the phone, please call (02) 9581 9101.
Alternatively, you can email christmas@waysidechapel.org.au
