Local need is ‘great’ this year
The President of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul conference in Nenagh has said there is huge need from local people who have falling on hard times and who are facing a very challenging Christmas.
Harry Martin was speaking in an interview with this newspaper in which he also appealed for new volunteers to join the Nenagh conference, which has lost a number of key people on its various committees in recent times and looks set to lose even more as existing helpers get older and the age profile in the local branch rises.
Asked about local demand for its services in the run-up to the festive season, Mr Martin replied: “The situation in regard to need in the community is massive.
“I would say that the number of people seeking help is over double what it was twelve months ago.”
The challenges posed by the pandemic have contributed to the growing numbers of individuals and families seeking help from the Nenagh conference, which is facing its own limitations on aid it can provide as its traditional winter and summer collections were cancelled due to Covid.
“It’s a big job getting money in and we can only do our best,” said Mr Martin.
Financial donations to the Nenagh conference can made by visiting https://svp.ie/nenaghappeal or by way of special envelopes available in Saint Mary of the Rosary Church in the town and the society’s local shop.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Mr Martin also appealed to people to consider volunteering with the local conference, saying its pool of helpers has diminished considerably in recent years.
“Two members of our Home Visitation Committee passed away since the start of the pandemic and our past president has also retired, so we really need to fill those positions,” said Mr Martin.
Traditionally, members of the Home Visitation Committee would have gone to the homes of people seeking help to try to assess individual needs of households but these in-person meetings, just like all others in the society since the onset of the pandemic, are now conducted on Zoom.
Increasing pressures in carrying out of the vital work of meeting with individuals and families is also compounded by the fact that some of the existing volunteers do not have the necessary technology to conduct online meetings.
Reiterating his call for new volunteers to come on board, Mr Martin added: “We have two more people retiring from our committee at the end of the year, leaving us with a minimum numbers to try to survive. Unfortunately, we have only so many members and we are all ageing.”
Mr Martin is now hoping that there are people in the community who will come forward to offer to help. “We need people who have good experience in life, who understand how to help people help themselves by coming up with a plan. We need people who are good listeners.
“Really, we would want to get another six to eight members and some people with experience in accounts as two of our treasurers on our committees are retiring this year.”
Garda vetting is required and the society’s officers provide all the necessary training.
OTHER WAYS TO DONATE
A message from the Society nationally is that, it says, for generations it has collected food and toys for families in need in local communities. However, it adds that due to Covid-19 the safe collection and distribution of toys and food is challenging for SVP volunteers.
So now the charity has launched a number of innovative initiatives to encourage donations from the public so they can still meet the needs of families nationwide.
The first is the SVP Virtual Gifts (svp.ie/virtualgifts) appeal. In keeping with the traditional SVP Giving Tree, donors can choose a bauble representing whom they would like to buy a gift. Donors can also choose what region they would like their donation used in. SVP has partnered with Me2You to provide the gift cards. All donated gift cards have been distributed through local SVP offices and used to help families in need to purchase those gifts all children deserve, such as a first bike, a new pair of pyjamas or a boardgame for the whole family.
For those who like to donate food each Christmas, SVP has also launched a new Virtual Food Appeal at svp.ie/virtualfoodappeal. Donors are invited to buy a virtual hamper online. All of these donations will be ringfenced specifically to help families with food requests. Every year, SVP provides help with food to thousands of families throughout the winter. And this winter, more than ever, it wants to make sure every family has what they need.
However, some donors still like to interact on a local basis and have something tangible to show for their donation. This led SVP to create the Empty Plate Appeal and the Empty Toy Box Appeal.
The Empty Plate Appeal is in partnership with EUROSPAR. It is based on the belief that no child should have an empty plate at Christmas. Shoppers are invited to donate non-perishable food items at local EUROSPAR stores. EUROSPAR will then calculate the value of food donated and provide SVP volunteers with the equivalent value in EUROSPAR vouchers. These vouchers will be used in the location in which they were donated to help ensure families in that community do not go hungry at Christmas and beyond.
The SVP Empty Toy Box Appeal is sponsored by Smurfit Kappa. People are invited to visit their local SVP Vincent’s shop, and buy an empty toy box for €5. All donations will be used in the community they are bought to help ensure that children and families have what they need this winter.
WAYS TO DONATE
Donate by phone: 0818 176 176 and nominate your local area
Donate by post: Please send cheques to SVP, PO Box 1234, Dublin 1, cheques made payable to ‘Society of St Vincent de Paul’ or direct to a regional office
Blue envelopes: Keep an eye out for special blue envelopes that will be in newspapers, churches and delivered to homes throughout the country.