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Five Things You Should Know About Loaves and Fishes

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Five Things You Should Know About Loaves and Fishes

The Aloysian Association ball is just around the corner, and there are still a limited number of tickets available. The event is set to be a fantastic night, with a delicious four-course meal, a live band, and dancing in to the small hours.

What you might not know is that the proceeds from this event benefits the wider Glasgow community; the proceeds from this year’s ball will be split between four charities: the three College charities The Lourdes Fund, The Children’s Fund and the College Bursary Fund, as well as Loaves and Fishes, a Glasgow-based charity that supports local people in need. Last year, the ball raised a fantastic sum for four charities, and this week Paul Rogers, President of the Aloysian Association, presented the College Bursary Fund with a cheque for £3000.

While you may have some idea of what the College charities do, this will be the first time that St Aloysius is supporting Loaves and Fishes. We thought it would be valuable to put together some key facts about this important charity.

1) Each Monday and Thursday evening Loaves and Fishes provide a sit down, hot meal for around 40 men and women at the Oasis café in Renfield St Stephen’s Church Centre. For many people who attend, it is the only proper meal they have all week.

2) Loaves and Fishes started life as a soup kitchen, feeding homeless people from a van, almost ten years ago. Since then it has grown, and offers sit down meals, food parcels, and clothes and toiletries.

3) There are no rules about who qualifies for support. Instead, Loaves and Fishes have learnt that those who come to them need their support: the charity provides this help in a safe, comfortable, and non-threatening environment.

4) In the past 12 months the charity has provided more than 1,500 food parcels for families and individuals in North and South Lanarkshire and Glasgow.

5) Loaves and Fishes cares about people’s dignity. In particular, the charity offers homeless people clothes and toiletries to help maintain people’s personal standards.

If you are interested in supporting this valuable cause, you can purchase a ticket for the Aloysian Association Ball from Chris Crighton in the Finance Office.

This year's event will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow on Saturday 3rd June, and tickets are priced at £70 per head.

The Association would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone who would like to come along. It’s a very sociable occasion with great feedback every year. Tables of 8, 10 or 12 are available and we can also accommodate smaller parties on mixed tables.