The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Donegal has said it will go out of its way to ensure that every child gets a toy this Christmas morning.
St Vincent de Paul say they will do their best this Christmas
President of the Donegal branch of the charity, Mary Sheridan, says the economic situation has forced many parents to reconsider what makes Christmas so special for them and their children.
“It is an extremely stressful time of the year for parents who cannot afford to provide even the minimum of gifts for their children on Christmas day.
“Between now and the end of this year SVP volunteers will be visiting homes throughout Donegal.
“They will give support in a variety of ways. Our main aim will be to ensure that all children will have a toy from Santa and that families will have sufficient food, heat and light to get over the ‘festive’ season,” she said.
SVP members are urging anyone in financial difficulty this Christmas to approach SVP and actively seek help from them rather than turn to money lenders who will charge extortionate interest rates on loans and will invariably make problems experienced by people even larger.
SVP members are adamant that confidentiality is the key to convincing people in need to come forward.
Confidentiality is the cornerstone of the work done by SVP members, therefore people can take comfort in the knowledge that all contact or assistance is in total confidence.
People are often unaware that St. Vincent de Paul is not only willing but able to help them.
“Therefore, we are earnestly appealing to people who have never approached us before and who are now struggling because of the present climate in our country to seriously consider approaching the St. Vincent de Paul Society for assistance.
“However, our help is not only restricted to financial help. On a weekly basis our volunteers are helping people by providing a listening ear and a chat to those who experience loneliness,” said Ms Sheridan.
Every December VdeP members work long hours to ensure that every request for help is dealt with in as an efficient and sensitive manner as possible.
St Vincent de Paul has launched its National Annual Appeal on the 14th Nov 2012 by Ryan Tubridy. This appeal makes a call to people to help by donating whatever they can to their local collections. People can also help to raise funds and awareness in the following ways:
•Buy a Voucher/Toy for our RTÉ 2fm Toy Appeal by leaving unwrapped toys in to their local Collection point or SuperValu or by purchasing a voucher from Toymaster or Eason’s Store …. We will look after the rest
•Get your Company or Organisation involved by doing a Toy/Voucher Appeal collection point in your place of work
•Or maybe you’d like to send an eCard to your clients this year and donate the money saved to the Annual Appeal
•You could organise a Fundraising Event
Calls for help to the Society has almost doubled over recent years and the SVP needs donations urgently to adequately provide the help needed by so many people in severe financial difficulties.
Calls to the Donegal Region have increased by 30%
The simple fact of the matter is that, without the financial help from the general public, the Society would not be able to carry out its work and for this we are eternally grateful.
Geoff Meagher, SVP National President, said that the importance of this appeal can be judged by the fact that the SVP spends almost €40m a year on direct assistance. The bulk of this amount goes to helping families with food, energy and education costs.
The appeal campaign will continue throughout December with the Svp week from the 2nd-9th December. SVP Conferences will hold church gate collections week-end of Sat 8th /Sun 9th December.
A promotional campaign to draw widespread attention to the SVP annual appeal has been organized across traditional and social media. A new television commercial which is currently been broadcast in the run-up to Christmas has help and solidarity as its theme.
SVP members throughout Donegal appreciate that those who may have been in a position to give to their Christmas appeal in recent years may not be so free to do so this year.
However, coping with the increase in demand for financial help this Christmas will undoubtedly put a huge strain on SVP resources but members are banking on the loyal and generous response from those who can afford to give anything at all to help.
Last year the charity made a special appeal for people to be aware of those around them who will feel the financial pressure more than ever and the response they had was the most generous we have ever received.
“We are confident that this year will be no different. And while people may not have as much to give, hopefully they will think twice about passing SVP collection boxes at churches this week,” said Ms Sheridan.
“Once again our sincere thanks to all our donors for their generosity and support and for that reason it does allow us to make a difference,” she added.
If you feel that St. Vincent de Paul could help you or your family this Christmas, or at any time during the year, please do not hesitate to contact any of its members locally or you can call the North West Regional S.V.P. Office on 074-9173933 and your request will be directed to the conference in your area. Alternatively, you can visit the National Svp website at www.svp.ie or email svpnorthwest@gmail.com