Food packs to help families in need
THE quiet exterior of the old Sola Lenses building in Wexford town belied an absolute hive of activity going on inside its walls last week. Now owned by Kersia, the building was the location for the assembly of food packages for the many families around Co Wexford who are struggling at what can be a difficult time of year.
A radio pumped out music that could barely be heard over the chatter of a team of some 50 volunteers from Kersia, busily milling around and filling bags with food items, ready to be handed out right across Co Wexford. In the middle of the floor with a clipboard is County Council Chairman Michael Sheehan who has put in quite a number of hours to getting things to this point.
‘Basically we’ve been doing this for five and a half years now,’ he says, by means of attempting to explain the madness unfolding as people pass with all manner of non-perishable items. ‘We’re doing it through the charity New Ross Community, but the remit is very much countywide. This is something that’s done through the council and this year, we were delighted to have Kersia come on board and not only provide a building to do all this, but they also sent all their staff across to the building to work on packing for half a day.’
The food assembled all comes from a government sponsored fund and this is the third intake of food this year that will be re-packaged and sent out to families in need.
‘ This is the biggest one this year,’ said Cllr Sheehan. ‘Basically the way it works now is that we’ll make contacts with organisations like St Vincent de Paul, Meals on Wheels, and the Women’s Refuge, and we’ll establish what’s required. As well as that, anyone who is struggling at this time of year can get in touch with us confidentially and we can try our best to help them out. This is something that will make such a difference in the lives of some Wexford families. I can’t thank the team at Kersia enough for all their hard work in putting this together.’
The basic production line saw items unloaded for pallets and divided out to make bags with enough food for a family over four. Supplemental bags are then added as required. Among the items packed are tins of beans, salmon, and peas, coffee, sugar, pasta, porridge, cereals, rice and lots of other foodstuffs that may just be the difference for families on the brink.
‘We’re delighted to be able to give back to families that may be struggling at Christmas,’ said General Manager at Kersia Rosie Keary, addressing the assembled crowd of workers. ‘I know we’ve had a tough summer with people going back to three day weeks and that kind of thing, but we’ve bounced back and it’s great to be able to help support a wonderful cause like this. It really does make a difference and I’m really proud of each and every one of you giving your time here today.’
Cllr Sheehan estimates that enough food to feed 3,000 families will have been processed by the end of this year and he anticipates a busy few weeks as the packages are shipped out to charities and people in need. If you or someone you know are struggling financially and may benefit from one of these food packages, you can contact Cllr Sheehan on 0851349020.