Each year we celebrate Christmas by sharing gifts with vulnerable families whose homes are located in the area where Sophie’s Farm is located: Doña Lucia, Mondragon, Northern Samar. We are grateful for the prayers and generosity of so many donors — without which all this is not possible.

Sacré Cœur in Melbourne, Australia, for example, has been supporting us for a number of years now through their “Shoes for Samar Backpack Initiative.” They share so much joy through the shoes, clothing, food supplies, candies and chocolates, and toys that they send us.

Read more about this partnership between Sophie Farm and Sacré Cœur in this page from the Burke Road Bulletin of Sacré Cœur (Volume 25, Issue 1, Summer 2019/2020)

From the contribution of many other donors, we add "Noche Buena" bags — basic ingredients for a Christmas meal of spaghetti or pancit (Asian noodles) and the staples of rice and some canned goods.  Now, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have also included "care packs" (masks, alcohol, medicines, vitamins).

Donations that arrived shortly before Christmas and onwards to the New Year were used to buy rice that we shared with fisherfolk who cannot go to sea because of the stormy weather.

So many have made this Christmas gift-sharing possible:  RSCJ and partners in mission, our families and friends from different parts of the world, individuals and groups who shared joy and hope. 

Here is a simple “thank you collage” of photos taken during this Christmas activity.

Thank you with a joyful heart from all of us in Sophie’s Farm!

Lydia Collado rscj