Hard-pressed families in Cork and around the country are facing the choice of heating their home or buying food on any given day, a leading charity has said.
The Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) said it continues to receive a high volume of calls, particularly as we head towards Christmas.
“The main thing is having enough money to cover food on the table and heat their homes, but trying to manage Christmas at the same time is difficult,” said SVP’s southwest regional co-ordinator Gerry Garvey.
“In a country that’s comfortably well-off, we should ensure that families have a basic standard of living.”
Mr Garvey said the charity distributes 18,500 food hampers across the year, with 4,000 Christmas hampers set to be distributed in the run-up to December 25, packed with both fresh and tinned foods to support families.
In Cork alone, he said, 400 families would be supported with coal and fuel for their homes to help them through the cold period to March.
He said:
He said recent years have been marked by more and more people reaching out to SVP who had not done so before.
Mr Garvey said: “It’s like the ‘new poor’. People who were working full time who’d previously been able to pay their way now found themselves in this rising cost of living and they’re struggling. They may have had some money set aside but that’s used up.
“And we still get those calls. It’s a real crisis and it indicates from a policy perspective, they haven’t got it right.”
With a new government set to be formed in the wake of the general election results, he said that further measures such as indexation of social welfare should be examined.
Mr Garvey added that a number of initiatives are ongoing from the charity to try to secure support from the public, such as its national giving Sunday this weekend and a large draw to win a car in Cork and Kerry.
His comments came as the Irish Examiner announced details of its annual fundraising drive for the charity.
As part of the campaign, the is asking readers to nominate a child or young person for a “little act of kindness” that they’ve done this year, and many of their names and stories will be published in the and on the ieParenting online hub on Saturday, December 21.
Each nominee will also receive a certificate of thanks from the and SVP and be entered into a draw to win a €250 gift voucher.
The will make a donation to SVP in recognition of these acts of kindness.
Nominations can be submitted at irishexaminer.com/littleactsofkindness.
Karen O’Donoghue, managing director of the and , said: “We are thrilled to once again support St Vincent de Paul this Christmas.
“Their invaluable work provides essential support to those in need, and we are proud to contribute to such a worthwhile cause.”
Donations to SVP can be made here.
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