Marco Carvalho
The Lusophone Scouts Group of Macau (GELMac) collected around 1,700 kilograms of food last Saturday. The donations were offered to two of the institutions – Caritas Macau and the Catholic Pastoral Centre of Macau – that have done the most to relieve Macau’s most vulnerable and needy.
The food drive, which had the operational support of two supermarkets in Macau and two others in Taipa, mobilized almost eighty scouts, their family members and other volunteers. As in previous editions of the campaign, the Lusophone Scouts Group of Macau collected rice, cereals, pasta, canned goods and other non-perishable products with the aim of distributing them amongst Macau’s most destitute.
Although the amount of food collected fell short of the more than two tons collected a year ago, the generosity of the local residents surprised once again GELMac’s leadership: “The campaign was once again very well received by Macau’s population. We managed to collect about 1.7 tons of food, an amount a stone’s throw away from what was collected in December of last year,” Nelson António told O CLARIM. Macau residents are usually sensitive to these initiatives and they like to contribute, especially to help those most in need in our society,” the Group Scout Leader added.
Even before the campaign’s outline was completely defined, the Lusophone Scouts Group had already decided to channel the collected donations to organizations that work directly with residents and migrant workers that have been harshly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again the choice fell on Caritas, but also upon the Catholic Pastoral Centre: “Given the circumstances in which we still find ourselves, namely with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial difficulties that befall on many families, we decided to channel the donations collected to institutions that are well aware of this reality and that work daily with families in need,” Nelson António explained. “We already knew very well the work developed by Caritas, as we have previously cooperated with them in several initiatives. With the Catholic Pastoral Centre, this is our first collaboration. Both institutions help not only destitute local families, but also non-resident workers, whose situation has greatly deteriorated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these people are going through very difficult times, so we made the decision to deliver the donations to these two institutions, because they work directly with these people and are well aware of their difficulties,” the Group Scouts Leader asserted.
Last Saturday’s food collection drive was the fifteenth initiative of its kind promoted by the Lusophone Scouts Group of Macau. The first edition of the campaign was held in 2008. Back then, the Portuguese-speaking scouts collected about a ton of food, which was then donated to the Missionaries of Charity and to the Cradle of Hope Association. Ever since, GELMac has provided assistance to organizations such as Caritas, the Our Lady of Penha Nursing Home or the Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau.
The Lusophone Scouts Group concluded one of the busiest weekends of the year with a Christmas get-together, the last activity of the group in 2021: “Following the food drive, we held a Christmas celebration, on December 5th, with all our Scouts and their family members, after the Mass at Our Lady of Carmel, in Taipa. Once a month, on the first Sunday of each month, we join the Eucharist there. With this Christmas get-together, we concluded our activities in 2021. We will resume them soon after the holiday period, in early January,” Mr. António told “O Clarim.”
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