Help feed a hungry Irish child

BROTHER Kevin Crowley and his volunteers at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin are modern-day saints.

The low-key friar in his mid-80s, who wears a simple brown robe and sandals, feeds the poor and hungry every day of the year.

As most of us prepare to carve the turkey and ham for family and friends this Christmas, Brother Kevin and his workers will distribute 3,500 badly-needed food hampers to the needy.

The genial Corkman has been looking out for those who have fallen on hard times for decades. And this year is no different. Except now, instead of lonely men and women turning up for a hot meal, entire families with small babies are showing at his door.

Without these free meals and food parcels, they would simply go hungry on Christmas Day and throughout the festive period.

The child poverty is a worrying development – and something that should not be happening in a wealthy country like Ireland.

There are around 10,000 homeless people across Ireland, 3,700 of them are children. Many are in emergency accommodation like hostels and hotels – hundreds more sleep rough in doorways or under bridges.

Most would be hungry were it not for the good friar and his gang of merry men and women. So if you have a few bob left this Christmas make a little donation, you’ll probably feed a hungry Irish child.