Tag Archives: food banks

A TOTAL of 730 people, including 500 children, are regularly receiving supplies from the Mid West Simon food banks in Ennis and Kilrush, it has emerged. This figure is an increase of 180 people, compared to July 2016. Figures released by Mid West Simon this week gave a detailed breakdown of the amount of people who are depending on the charity to feed either themselves or, in many cases, entire families. In Ennis, 356 children are depending on food from the bank, which caters for 54 families, including 90 adult females and 26 adult males. The Ennis food bank caters for a total of 472 people, compared to 258 in Kilrush. The Kilrush figure includes 143 children, 58 men and 57 adult females. Tracey Reddy, client services manager with Mid West Simon, has told The Clare Champion that increases in rent is a contributing factor to food poverty in the county. “The number of people using food banks is increasing …

Mid West Simon has launched an emergency food appeal after it emerged that some families in Ennis and Kilrush were struggling to put food on the table. The charity told The Clare Champion that they “urgently need support in order to maintain our vital food banks in Ennis and Kilrush for families under severe financial pressure”. Mid West Simon general manager, Jackie Bonfield, said people who cannot pay for food are sometimes too embarrassed to ask for help. “It is difficult to understand how food poverty can be experienced by families or individuals in Clare but the facts are so clear. People are suffering behind closed doors and are often too ashamed to ask for help. Low incomes, high rents, high mortgage payments and increasing utility bills are forcing people to choose between food and bills,” she revealed. The most recent CSO statistics indicate that over 15% of the population is at risk of poverty, with more than 8% living …