EVERY year for the last 50 years, the Redemptorists in Limerick have been making Christmas a little brighter for families in desperate need through their Christmas Hamper appeal.
This year, the need for hampers is up 15 per cent and the cost of providing them is up 11 per cent, making it a challenge to prevent families having a hungry Christmas.
Even before the cost of living crisis took hold, the Central Statistics Office found that eight per cent of people in the Mid West are living with food poverty.
The aim of the appeal is a simple one – food on every table in Limerick and surrounding areas at Christmas.
Fr Seamus Enright of the Redemptorists estimates that around 300,000 hampers have been distributed since 1972.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s appeal he said that “none of this would have been possible without the generosity of people who contribute to the cause.
“We are depending on the generosity of people this year more than ever,” he said.
“Children go to school hungry in Limerick every morning and people go to bed hungry every night. Older people are having to decide between having something to eat and lighting a fire. Please help us to help others.”
Fr Enright and friends will be collecting at Dunnes Stores in the Jetland Centre on December 23.
The Hamper donation centre will be open at the Redemptorists from Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 4pm.
Donations can also be sent to Fr Enright at the Redemptorists, cheques to be made payable to the Redemptorist Perpetual Help fund. Online donations can be made here
