by Hudson Fernandes
KUWAIT, SEP 15, 2017: Money is but one avenue for generosity. Kindness is an even more valuable currency. The parishioners of St. Therese of the child 
Jesus in Kuwait, responded with kindness to a call to lend a generous hand to the economically marginalised parishioners and the inmates of the Filipino and Sri Lankan embassy on September 9 and 10.
The Small Christian Community (SCC) under the guidance of Father Johnson Nedumpurath completed its Second Annual Collection Drive during the novena to Our Lady of Nativity from August 30 to September 7. The SCC offered the parishioners a unique opportunity to extend Mother Mary's kindness to the poor. The parishioners were requested to contribute non-perishable food items and toiletries at all the Nativity novena masses for the poor in the parish, labour camps and the shelters of the Filipino and Sri Lankan Embassies.
This year there was a significant increase in the contribution of comestible and non-comestible items, including cash donations from extremely generous contributors, which is a strong reflection of the support of parishioners. Nearly 1500 pieces of non-comestible items along over 2000 kgs of comestible items were collected over a two week period.
The gift hampers were distributed on September 9 and 10 to over 200 families. Volunteers from the Salmiya youth group, altar servers and SSC members assisted in sorting out the collections, preparing accurate inventories and packing itemized hampers for distribution.