NEW arrangements are being put in place for those who need to avail of the services of the Mid West Simon food bank after the facility had to close earlier this month.
CEO of Simon Mid West, Jackie Bonfield, told the Limerick Post that the foodbank at Christ Church on Glentworth Street in Limerick City had to be discontinued “for reasons beyond our control”.
Now, Simon are working with community organisations across the city to have food distribution take place at a more local level.
“We have got quite a few community organisations on board and this is a model we had planned to move to,” Ms Bonfield said.
“We are very grateful for having had the use of the Christ Church facility, but we are moving on as quickly as possible to the community distribution model.”
The intention of having the food banks in the community hubs is to make them more accessible, Ms Bonfield says. Simon is in the process of finalising agreements with a number of community organisations and are hoping that others will sign up for the mission.
“It doesn’t have to be a community centre per se. A GAA club or rugby club that might have space and a few volunteers some time in the week could also be involved,” Ms Bonfield said.
The CEO acknowledged that a proposal to have food parcels home delivered is causing concern with some clients of the food bank, but she said that everyone will be accommodated in a suitably dignified way.
“If anyone has difficulty accessing a local distribution point, or if there are community organisations out there who would like to be involved, they should call us on 061 608980. We will come to some arrangement to suit. We won’t leave anyone out,” Ms Bonfield concluded.
