MEETING DEMAND: Volunteers with St Vincent de Paul Killarney Conference say there's a huge demand for food hampers this year. Pictured were: Mike Riordan, Niall Keogh, Liz Ryan, Jackie Foley, Brendan Joy, Dymphna Horgan and Breda Dwyer. Photo: Michelle Crean

By Michelle Crean

With funding decimated and a huge increase in families seeking assistance as a result of COVID this year the St Vincent de Paul (SVdD) is urging the public to help.

As volunteers prepare hundreds of hampers for the vulnerable in Killarney and surrounds, the Killarney Conference is expecting a massive demand on their services.

Speaking this week to the Killarney Advertiser, President of the local conference Breda Dwyer said that 2020 "is the toughest year" the service has experienced to date.

Not alone have they lost out on church gate collections - including the annual Christmas one - their biggest of the year usually runs the second weekend of December - but more families are in dire straights due to the loss of jobs or reduction in hours.

In recent weeks SVdP has sent out 6,000 envelopes to homes across the town and are asking people to give a generous donation to help raise the funds to fill the food hampers which will be distributed to their clients in need.

The service - which has also felt the loss of revenue with their charity shop closed in both the first and second lockdown - will also help by providing food vouchers, coal or oil to those who cannot afford it.

"It's our toughest year," Breda told the Killarney Advertiser this week.
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"Our main aim is to help people who are in poverty. Our church gate collection, that's our biggest fundraiser of the year but that won't be going ahead this year. That's an awful lot of fundraising we won't have this year. Our funds are down substantially and we're making a special appeal to people to please support SVdP as the needs of people have increased."

Volunteer Niall Keogh added that not only do they provide food and other provisions but can monitor those who need additional services like mental health.

However, due to COVID, calling in and just sitting and chatting to clients isn't possible this year.
"We can't call and sit down and have a chat. We can't access their mental health needs."
Anyone who needs support in any way should call 064 6634021 or 087 7718200. "They can leave a message and a volunteer will get back to them," he said.

And the service is also seeking more volunteers, anyone who'd like to give a hand can contact them on the numbers above.