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Importance of St Vincent de Paul on the increase


THE number of people being supported by St Vincent De Paul in Shannon has dramatically increased and the organisation will be having its annual collection this Thursday and Friday.
Des McDonnell is treasurer of the local branch of St Vincent De Paul and he said that many people are now in need of support.
“We wouldn’t have all the sums done yet but I’d say we’ve had between 30 and 50% more call-outs. We are getting calls from new clients every other night. We’ve always had a few core people that we would have helped a few times a year but now we have people coming who we’ve never had before.”
He said that there can be different reasons why people fall into serious financial difficulties.
“People can become unemployed, marriages can break up. It would be more common now for a woman to be left with two or three kids and not have support from a partner. We would see ourselves as an emergency organisation. Our priority would be that people wouldn’t be left hungry but something like a phone bill wouldn’t be a priority,” he explained.
When he spoke to The Clare Champion on Tuesday evening, he said he was after getting phone calls from people in Sixmilebridge and Shannon and liaisons would take place with the individuals to see how they could be supported.
The winter is a busy time for the charity, he said. “During the summer, it wouldn’t be too bad, we might only have about six calls a week. At the moment, we would have a few calls every night. There are a lot of very genuine people calling.”
He said that problems can arise with certain bills and they can ultimately reach very high levels.
Providing support with essentials is the first priority, while he said the cost of education is another reason people make contact with the charity.
“We would help out with problems when there isn’t money for things like food, fuel and electricity. Education would be also significant, people mightn’t be able to afford bus fares or third-level registration fees,” he added.
Mr McDonnell said the coming weeks are very important for St Vincent De Paul in Shannon. “Around 95% of our income will be generated between now and the first of January. As well as the annual collection, a lot of factories and other businesses donate money at this time of year.”
While the society appreciate that times are difficult for many people any support that can be given to the annual collection will be greatly appreciated.
If anyone would like to seek support from St Vincent De Paul, or would like to make a financial contribution or volunteer, the charity can be contacted on 086 1552050. All contact with the St Vincent De Paul is confidential.

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