The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW has been blessed to receive many kind bequests and each year we acknowledge our benefactors in our Annual Report. We also present the “Book of Gratitude” at our Annual Mass, containing the names of everyone who has generously left a gift in their estate to the Society.
These legacies make a direct and significant contribution to the people we assist.
The Society NSW has over 100 services and programs across the state which rely on the generosity of the community to be there when individuals and families reach out for assistance.
The clinic at the Matthew Talbot Hostel is one such service to benefit from a bequest.
The late Florence Mary Verga Smith, affectionately known as Mary, was a generous and accomplished woman, fondly remembered by our staff, volunteers and like-minded supporters of the Society. Mary worked as a pharmacist, which led her to recognise the importance of dignity to all through a bequest to the Matthew Talbot Hostel clinic.
The services offered at the clinic are many: GPs, psychiatry, optometry, podiatry and smoking cessation clinics. In the past year, 677 people were supported through the clinic with over 10,000 appointments delivered.
Likewise, the bequest left by Aileen Mary Delaney has made a positive impact on the rooftop garden at the Matthew Talbot Hostel, and at Mary’s Place in Ballina.
The rooftop garden is a welcoming space for people to relax overlooking the skyline of central Sydney. Community greening programs run by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney are offered for people to plant seeds and connection, while produce from the garden is used for cooking classes at the neighbouring Ozanam Learning Centre.
Mary’s Place supports people at risk and experiencing homelessness with meals, showers, case management and access to other services on-site.
The generosity of bequests like Mary’s allows these services to make an impact every day.
In the past year, bequests have been allocated from Albury to Yamba supporting our crisis centres, women’s refuges, local volunteer conferences, homeless services and vital drop-in hubs where people can rest and find their way out of homelessness.
Just as Florence and Aileen have left a bequest, you can add your name to the list of people committed to supporting the good works of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW through a gift in your Will.
Related articles
