Spring Update
Hello from everyone at Emmaus Suffolk! Everybody hopes you have had a good week and you've been alright during the winter. Until the Spring weather starts properly, you can buy warm clothes at the Emmaus shops in Ipswich and Felixstowe, which are all warm places on cold days. And if you're struggling at the moment, the Emmaus hubs (at the Dales, Carr Street and Felixstowe shops and the Royal Oak on Felixstowe Road) are safe spaces. You can sit quietly with a cuppa or meet new people, whichever you're comfortable with. And at the Dales shop's new lunchtime hub, you're also welcome to a free panini/toastie, plus tea and coffee. Emmaus support workers will listen and support you in gaining confidence. They can also give advice and help with job applications etc.
In January, the Carr Street hub ran a craft activity in preparation for Easter. They provided polystyrene eggs for hub attendees to paint as Easter eggs, which was fun to try. The other attendees did a fantastic job. Tania, one of the hub coordinators, explained to me that, like the baubles on the Emmaus Giving Tree at the Royal Oak last December, these painted eggs will be like tokens, each representing a One-Pot-Wonder meal. (The “One-Pot-Wonder” offer is available to everyone, as at £3:50, it is affordable for all.) A donation of £5 contributes towards enabling Emmaus to continue the One-Pot-Wonder scheme. Over Easter, the Royal Oak will have a large clear tube to put the painted eggs into, so everyone can watch the number of donations growing. The idea was inspired by two things – one is the charity Social Bite, which began when a homeless man asked for a job in a coffee shop in Scotland. They offered him a job and soon also jobs to some other homeless people. Soon after, they started a system there called “Pay it Forward”, where customers could buy food that people struggling with homelessness could collect later on. The other inspiration is the film “Pay It Forward”, which is apparently based on a book of the same title by Catherine Ryan Hyde. (The film is available to view on YouTube.) It's about a boy who has an idea of doing 3 kind things for other people. All he asks in return is that those 3 people would then each do something kind for 3 other people, and so on. Following this pattern, the number of good deeds would quickly multiply to achieve a lot of good in the world. In the book and the film, these deeds are all big gestures, but in real life it doesn't have to be. You too can “pay it forward” by contributing £5 for the Emmaus One-Pot-Wonder scheme, donating items, purchasing something, or volunteering your time at one of the Emmaus sites, etc. The Carr Street hub attendees recently celebrated the anniversary of the Emmaus founder Abbé Pierre's “Uprising of Kindness” speech by surrounding his picture on a board with positive quotes.
Today I attended the first session of the new Emmaus hub at their Dales shop on Dales Road. There used to be a hub there before the Covid lockdowns, which I used to go to. They've now started it again and hopefully it will grow into a nice group again like at their other hubs. The activities in today's session were: colouring-in books, painting-by-numbers kits, games and puzzles. (If attendees would like crafts to be added, please let the staff know.) Like the other Emmaus hubs, this hub provides a warm space – as support worker Sean mentioned, attending can help you save a little on your energy bills, and warm cuppas are also provided for free. At this particular hub, they will also be providing a free toasted panini or toastie, whichever you prefer. The panini options are: BBQ Chicken, Ham + Cheese, Margherita Pizza and Tuna Melt. The toastie options are: Cheese + Onion, and Gluten Free 5 Cheese. (I tried the BBQ Chicken panini, which was really delicious and very warming.) I definitely recommend it and I'm looking forward to trying the other filling options at this hub in the future.) It can save you cooking lunch at home and it's in a comfy, warm and cosy corner of the shop, which has a friendly atmosphere. If you happen to be browsing in the Dales shop while the new hub is on, you're very welcome to join in and meet new people. Equally, attendees might spot a bargain in the shop during the session. Today I saw a plaque on sale, which might look nice in someone's home – it read: “Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful”. (Moley would no doubt agree because even though dogs can't eat paninis, he still thinks life is wonderful and perfect as he always has a good supply of dog treats!)
There's been some other lovely items in the Dales shop recently, which have found new homes. These include a dachshund-shaped doorstop, a set of Elmer-themed plates + bowls and some beautiful baby baskets. (Moley wouldn't have minded snoozing in one of those himself...) Currently, there are some pretty necklaces and jewellery stands, as well as The Hairy Bikers' Family Cookbook.
My first read to review from the Dales shop's bookshelves has been children's book, “The Star of Kazan”, by Eva Ibbotson. It's a great adventure/mystery, with lots of humour, and twists and turns. The good characters are all charming, and even some of the unkind characters have their nicer moments. And if you haven't been to Austria, Hungary, Germany or Switzerland, the book's beautiful descriptions take you on a journey through them all (as they once were) from the comfort of your home. I found a child's favourable review of it online, which is good to know. (Just to forewarn, however, there are some very sad moments too. Also, some characters are upsettingly cruel to animals, children, the elderly and mental health sufferers, reflecting certain attitudes of the setting – the early 1900's.) Moley approves that there's a dog character (called Hector) and is glad that Hector was saved from a brutal owner. Hector also plays an important role in solving the mystery!
Wednesday sessions have now resumed at the Dales shop's allotment. (11am-1pm) Last Wednesday, I pulled up the remaining beetroot plants, then turned over the soil around some onion shoots and broad bean shoots. Fellow volunteer David told me that turning over the soil brings up the weeds before they can get too big. It was nice to hear the birds singing and see how all the rain has helped the shoots to grow.
Master Moley would like to have the last word today, firstly with a reminder of the old saying: “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.” As he's a rescue dog, he's so happy to have found his forever home with Mandy & Chris. He'd also like you to know about Emmaus's #BeMoreKind campaign to continue the legacy of Abbé Pierre's speech. (Raising money for the cause he started and encouraging a modern-day “Uprising of Kindness” in the world.) Moley recommends being kind to others, but also to yourself. He practices this by kindly cheering people up with cuddles, and thinking positive thoughts. (E.g. feeling proud of himself for being such a good boy, plus daydreaming about lunch...)
See you next time, Heather.