11 December 2023
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cost of living crisis pushing lower income earners further and further into poverty trap.
At the Car Draw stand in Mahon Point, St. Vincent De Paul (SVP) South-West says they are facing their most demanding Christmas and Winter period in several decades. With the cost-of-living crisis deepening, the charity is reporting that more people than ever are seeking help in the run up to the festive and winter season, with 1,300 calls for help per week, a 30% increase on this time last year.
The Society states that significant numbers of people in Cork are reaching out to them seeking assistance as they struggle to cope with sky-high energy costs, increased prices for fuel and dramatic rises in the price of food. The most significant increase in calls is coming from lower-income earners in full-time employment….The New Poor.
Pictured promoting the Car Draw at Mahon Point Shopping Centre are from left: Paddy O’Brien, Regional President, SVP; Marina Carty, Marketing Co-ordinator, Mahon Point Shopping Centre; Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy and Clare O’Neill, Mahon Point Marketing Manager.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
Pictured promoting the Car Draw at Mahon Point Shopping Centre are, from left: Paddy O’Brien, Reg. President, SVP; Cllr. Kieran McCarthy, Lord Mayor of Cork; Marina Carty and Clare O’Neill, Mahon Point Shopping Centre and Ellmarie Dowd Spillane, SVP.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
The Annual SVP South-West Car Draw is a key fundraising event for the region, with tickets and free post return envelopes delivered to every household in Cork and Kerry and the added option of buying tickets online. Donations are also welcome through both channels.
SVP South-West’s Regional Coordinator Gerry Garvey said the charity is gearing up for one of the most difficult periods for the South-West region in many years.
“We continue to receive an unprecedented number of calls for this time of year and from all walks of life, including but not limited to; pensioners and social welfare parents, carers and those on disability payments, and those on low paid employment.
Energy and food costs are the primary concern for callers, and SVP are the only charity providing fuel assistance to families and vulnerable individuals in Cork during the winter months. The price of a bag of coal has almost doubled this year – it may even increase again, and this has really put a strain on our reserve funds for the year.” Mr. Garvey said.
“The overriding theme we are seeing this year is that, in addition to struggling and vulnerable people, the cost-of-living crisis is pushing full-time lower income workers further into poverty and we are receiving calls from people who are in despair every day because they are struggling massively to cope with basic living expenses,” he remarked.
The key fundraising drive for SVP South-West across Cork and Kerry is the Annual Car Draw and Funds generated will be used to support people in need in the Region. Thank you to the Cavanagh family….. Tomar Trust who again donated the Ford Focus.
SVP Regional President Paddy O’Flynn said that this year, the fundraiser would be even more critical to the charity to help them to continue assisting people across Cork. Mr O’Flynn said:
“The Cork public has always been extremely generous to St Vincent De Paul. We are now asking you would you please return your tickets, payment and donations to our Regional office in the pre-paid envelope provided.
Last year, we were blown away by the support we received during such a difficult time. We appreciate that this Christmas is going to be more challenging for many people across all walks of life. However, we are deeply concerned about the impact of the cost of living and the pressure it has placed on our core services.
The numbers of people who require our assistance this year is unprecedented, and the funds raised from the Annual Car Draw this year are vital to us to enable us to help as many people as possible.”
“While we are not a homeless charity, we also do a lot of work behind the scenes to prevent people from losing their homes. We also act as a “last resort” for people in third level education and provide funding and bursaries to approx. 190 students from socially disadvantaged background who would not be in a position to attend college if they did not receive funding from the Society, and we have been receiving more calls from students this year seeking our assistance.” he continued:
“It has been another exceptionally challenging year for SVP South-West but particularly for the families and individuals we support. We depend on the generosity of our many donors and we’re asking them to support us once again, if at all possible, in the coming weeks.
“Our fundraising needs remain consistently high, and we are once again turning to online appeals for the Annual Car Draw. We are extremely grateful for any support that we receive. Each and every donation will make a difference and we want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Cork for all of their support this year to date,” Mr O’Flynn concluded.
In addition to supporting families, in the run up to and throughout the festive period, the charity continues to provide up to 4,530 homes across Cork and Kerry with regular coal deliveries throughout the winter and are delivering approx. 350 food hampers every week to families in need through the SVP Cork and Kerry Hamper Projects.
It has been another tough year, and this year looks set to be the most difficult in recent years. However, we remain committed to ensuring that all families and individuals who need our help will be supported irrespective of the challenges that we face.” The essence of SVP is Providing support and friendship as well as practical supports such as vouchers and energy support.
Tickets for the Annual SVP South-West Car Draw cost €5 each and can be can be purchased online at the following link: www.svp.ie/cardraw23
Alternatively, freepost SVP envelopes can be returned in or dropped into the SVP Regional Office at Ozanam House, 2 Tuckey Street, Cork.
The final date for entries will be 12 noon on Friday 5th January 2024.
The First prize will be a brand-new Ford Focus, kindly donated by the Cavanagh family’s TOMAR Trust, In addition to this there will be six other cash prizes.
When will the draw take place?
The draw will take place on Wednesday 10th January 2024 at CAB Motors, Cork with the Lord Mayor in attendance, where the winners will be announced. Details of the winners will be published on www.SVP.ie and in the Irish Examiner on Saturday 13th January 2024 with the event streamed later on social media.