SVP on hand to support during this time of crisis
WHILST for a lot of people, the biggest hardship during the lockdown has been missing the pub or a trip to the hairdresser, for some, it has brought unimaginable hardship and worry.
And with donations to charities down considerably, it’s been harder for them to receive the help they normally would.
But for St Vincent de Paul, it’s very much business as usual – with just a few tweeks - even if they are feeling the pinch from the shops being closed.
“Yes, the shops have been closed now for three months, and that would have been a major source of funding for us, not to mention the cancellation of church gate collections and events like the golf classic,” says Michael Grogan, area president. “They will be hopefully opening again on June 8th, and of course, the collection bins have been operational the whole time – which is great as everyone stuck at home have been doing big clear-outs - as well as online donations.”
The usual house visitations have had to be paused; however, the teams have been making Zoom, Teams or Meets calls with people, if possible, for consultations or advice.
“Requests for help to SVP have definitely increased due to Covid, and the Government payment is not sufficient for many to meet all the household bills, as some people have lost their jobs, and while the assistance is welcome, it’s simply not enough,” he adds,
“If they can’t meet their commitments, we can help by offering food vouchers or fund expenses.”
Michael says people in Drogheda and the surrounding areas always continue to be generous, even during difficult time for them too.
“People want to help, but don’t necessarily know how, and it shows you the community spirit that we have here,” says Michael, who has been involved with SVP for decades. “We are really grateful for any online donation right now, as it is needed more than ever, and we also really need more hands on deck at the moment.”
Food parcels and deliveries is a major part of their assistance plan during the pandemic, and with so many of their volunteers suffering travel restrictions, help is needed.
“Many of our members of retired or older, and have been cocooning, which means we are short of people to carry out collections or deliveries, “explains Michael. “We are using food vouchers at the moment and need the help of younger people who can drive, who maybe have a bit of extra time on their hands, and could spare maybe four hours a week to help us out.”
SVP is a confidential and voluntary service, which is completely non-judgemental.
“We will try to help anyone who asks us, and there is always a friendly voice on the end of the phone,” he says. “We also help students with educational support, with bursaries for third level, and we expect applications to be up this year, as they are not able to earn their own money during the summer.”
If you need support or would like to help out during this difficult time, contact the helpline 1800 677777 and donations of food vouchers are especially welcome next time you are in Aldi, Lidl, Dunnes or Tesco.
If you would like to make an online donation, the details for the Drogheda area are: A/C 36146687
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