AS MANY as 200 people will visit the Mid West branch of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) in Limerick every day this Christmas, with 300 families accessing the charity’s weekly food bank just to put food on the table.
However these grim figures are not just for the festive season, they are a reality year-round for some of the most vulnerable members of society.
With over 800 volunteers, the Mid West branch of SVP covers Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, and Offaly. In Limerick, up to 30 people give up their time to help those in need, even on Christmas Day.
Marie Byrnes first joined SVP in 2014, after the passing of her eldest son Bobby, aged just 31, following a four-year battle with cancer.
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She said she “just couldn’t go outside the door” after Bobby’s passing. However a visit to a local charity shop with her sister, Noreen, put Marie on a new path.
Photo: Gareth Williams.
Since then, Marie has become the local branch’s health and safety officer, and has found a new community and a chance to reconnect with people she lost contact with.
“The community gave my life back to me,” she said. “I was in a really bad state but it gave me a focus in life again.”
SVP Mid West regional president Bridget Healy’s story is also rooted in grief, joining the organisation after a tragic loss.
“27 years ago, I lost my son and a family we were visiting at the time who sincerely needed our help, one of the individuals walked 10 miles to my home while on crutches to offer me support,” she told the Limerick Post.
This act of kindness motivated Bridget to “be part of the solution to help people who fall”.
Today, more families than ever before are leaning on organisations like SVP, especially in the run up to the festive period.
At the end of October, the number of calls for help in the Mid West branch was up seven per cent on last year, with overall requests for 2025 expected to exceed 25,000.
Eimear Purcell, manager of the SVP Mid West drop-in centre – a day service for people who are at risk of or are experiencing homelessness and food poverty – says the service will remain open every day over Christmas.
“Most of the work volunteers do involves preparing and serving food, but it goes so much more beyond that. It’s the welcome they receive and clients know that they’re not being paid to be there, they are here because they are interested, which brings something very special to the service,” Eimear said.
The drop-in centre is partly funded by the HSE and Limerick City and County Council, but heavily relies on public donations. It provides shower facilities, clothing, and toiletries, and acts as a crucial link to help people access specialist services such as employment, mental health, or addiction services. It also gives people a sense of community and connection.
Photo: Gareth Williams.
“A lot of the people who come here have addiction issues or have mental health issues or have had a family breakdown. It’s important that they feel connected to something and they feel a part of something,” Eimear explains.
“We’re very lucky to be able to have little celebrations for our clients, so we will mark Christmas in a special way for them, but also in a sensitive way because it can be such a difficult time for people.”
SVP operates a food bank, with up to 300 people availing of the service weekly, many of whom are in full-time employment and simply struggling to make ends meet.
A second chance
Alice Moloney-Kett, President, Saint Martin’s Conference, has volunteered with SVP for the past 30 years and visits individuals in prison, many who often rely on the help of charities to get them back on their feet post-release.
When an individual is released from prison, they are placed on an offender’s list for seven years, managed privately by Gardaí for monitoring purposes.
Ms Moloney-Kett is now calling on the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan to step in and reduce the amount of time people who commit mild or minor crimes are placed on this list post-release to help their transition back into society.
And as regards allowing people the tools to give back to their community, SVP also offers fully-funded educational opportunities for people post-release.
Anyone who needs support this Christmas is encouraged to reach out for help and support, and the charity’s Christmas food drive will also distribute hampers to those in need.
SVP is now calling on members of the public in a position to donate money, clothes, or food to do so or to consider becoming a volunteer in their local branch.
The Mid West branch can be contacted confidentially on 061 317 327.