by Alan Jacques
THE Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) saw an increase of 17 per cent in the number of families and individuals seeking their assistance last year in the Mid-West.
In 2014, in excess of €318,000 was spent in the Limerick City area assisting people with basic needs such as food, clothing and household items. A further €115,000 was spent providing help with solid fuel, oil electricity and gas.
SVP also spent €87,000 in supporting education, in particular, Third Level. In County Limerick a total of €126,000 was spent across these categories.
In the past five years the requests for help the charity has received have more than doubled. Providing that help, they say, would not have been possible without the support of the Irish people.
In the run up to Christmas, SVP volunteers will visit over 140,000 people and help them with basics such as food, fuel and toys. The Annual Christmas Appeal is a crucial time for SVP to raise money.
“Almost 70 per cent of what we raise each year is raised during this time. The funds we raise will not only help families this side of Christmas but well into 2016 also,” explained SVP regional president, John Lupton.
“This campaign brings to life what our volunteers see everyday – that it takes only one small incident, an unexpected event or a simple misunderstanding to tip someone into a cycle of crisis and poverty.
“At SVP we are asked for help thousands of times each day – but the simple fact remains – we can’t say yes without you. We are asking everyone once again to please support our Annual Appeal – as when you help SVP the impact of this help can last a lifetime for someone,” he said.
Online donations can be made at www.svp.ie.
