A Bucket Full of Love

Sometimes care can look simpler than you might expect.
Story by Holly Mason, St Stephen’s School

A small group of Year 9 students from St Stephen’s School recently discovered how a collection of everyday items can offer practical support to someone going through a difficult time.

As part of the School’s Year 9 Rite Journey program, students are encouraged to consider who they are becoming and the contribution they can make to their community. This year students chose to support Uniting WA’s Buckets of Love initiative.

This initiative involves filling buckets with household cleaning essentials, including dishwashing liquid, sponges, scourers and toilet cleaner. Mr Stephen Meagher, Service Learning Coordinator at St Stephen’s School, said the practical nature of the initiative directly supports Uniting WA’s services. “The buckets will help Uniting supply their Group Homes, Refuges and Homeless Transition Homes with much needed cleaning products.”

The students started their journey by researching what was needed and calculating the cost of filling each bucket, then organising a fundraiser to raise enough money to purchase the supplies themselves.

Once everything had been collected, the students worked together to assemble the buckets, adding one final item that couldn’t be bought in a shop; a handwritten note to each recipient.

For the students, the project offered a tangible way to think beyond their own lived experiences and put care for others into action. Rite Journey Coordinator Mrs Sian Freeman said “The girls were inspired by the idea that something as simple as a bucket of practical items could help bring a little comfort, dignity and hope to someone experiencing a difficult time.”

Each year the School is inspired by the thoughtful organisation of the students charitable efforts, with this year feeling particularly poignant with the selection of a fellow Uniting Church organisation.