Help sought to make 850 Dignity Packs
STUDENT MOLLY COMISH SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR PRODUCTION LINE
BRAY STUDENT Molly Comish is putting a call out for people to help put together 850 ‘dignity packs’ in five hours.
The packs contain essential toiletry items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, wipes, tampons and more, and will be distributed to homeless people all over Ireland
The production line event will take place at The Well, Cornerstone Church, opposite the Royal Hotel in Bray, between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 30, and Molly is asking people to spare an hour to take part.
There will be hourly slots and people can pick the timeslots that best suits them.
There will be refreshments for all volunteers and you can sign up through the Dignity Packs Ireland Facebook page.
Molly just finished her Leaving Cert and is hoping to study sociology or community and youth studies in college.
She is working in The Martello, and when she started doing this, she used her tips from work to buy the supplies.
‘I had no clue it would ever get as big as it is now,’ she said. ‘I thought it would be me by myself and nobody would even know.’
Since then, she has been the Bray Lions Club Young Ambassador of the Year, a Wicklow Garda Youth Award winner, she has travelled to Manchester to receive an award and will go to Yorkshire and Belfast to participate in a conference for Rotary Clubs.
She didn’t even tell her parents at the start about her project. They eventually realised what she was doing and came on board to help.
The kind-hearted young woman was in Dublin on Decemer 24, 2015, and it struck her that there were so many people on the streets. She thought about the fact that she would wake up the following morning to a comfortable home and presents, never mind basic hygiene supplies.
She said she has learned so much from services and resources in Bray and elsewhere, about what would be appropriate to put into the packs. She distributes them on her day off in Limerick, or Cork or Galway and teams up with the services there. When she goes to Belfast, she’ll bring some there.
‘My dad has some in his car, I have some in my car,’ she said. ‘ There are homeless people everywhere and anyone can be effected.’
A former pupil of Loreto in Bray, Molly said that her school community, as well as her employers, the Lions and the community at large have been hugely supportive of the initiative.
Superdrug have given enough products for 200 packs, with 500 more pledged.
Molly and her colleagues on the Dignity Packs Ireland project help out on the Tiglin outreach bus every week. They hear from people who are homeless about their stories and their needs, and hand out packs and sandwiches.
The items are all packed into small rucksacks and are specific to men or women. The contents include tissues, plasters, face cloths, soap, deodorant, hats and socks, gloves, water, lip balm, travel shampoo, and more.
To find out more, go to dignitypacks.ie.