New Ross food bank to double its allocation this Christmas – ‘we would appeal to people not to suffer, you’re not on your own’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

While many of us are stockpiling in advance of the festive season and purchasing enough food to feed a small army, there are some for whom Christmas remains an incredibly difficult time. Financial constraints hit hardest in the winter months and, with that in mind, New Ross councillor Michael Sheehan is calling upon the local community to rally round and ensure no-one goes without this festive season.

Due to administrative issues, the local branch of St Vincent de Paul (SVDP) is unable to issue food hampers this Christmas, however, Cllr Sheehan says there will be other options available for those who need assistance.

“The SVDP committee in New Ross is transitioning to a new set of members, therefore it won’t have the capacity to do food hampers this year;” he explained. “People can still ring the same number and local arrangements are in place to help people in dire need, but SVDP won’t be doing their traditional food hampers that they’ve been doing normally.”

Fortunately, Revive New Ross, a food bank service set up two years ago, will work to address any potential shortages.

“Revive is going to step into the gap vacated by SVDP and make sure nobody goes without this Christmas,” said Cllr Sheehan who has worked with food bank services for almost 15 years. “I’ve gone to the Minister for Social Protection (Dara Calleary) and asked for double the allocation of food that we’re due to get for December because we’re expecting a surge of people who are going to be short in terms of food and the essentials.

"If we can demonstrate there’s a need for it and that we can step into the gap while SVDP transitions then I’m confident we will receive this.”

Yet in some ways, receiving the food and supplies is the easy part. Convincing those in need to come and avail of the service can often be more complex.

“I’m calling for the community to rally around to make sure that anyone who’s vulnerable or is in need to come forward,” said Cllr Sheehan. “The ones who need it the most often don’t come forward, so sometimes it’s about trying to identify those people and recommend that they contact us.

"I know it’s difficult for some people to come to us, in that instance, if you know someone who might be in need you can give them our number and suggest they call us; everything we do is private and confidential, nothing more is said about it. We try to help everyone, and we would appeal to people not to struggle or suffer, you’re not on your own.”

While Revive focuses mostly on ‘dry goods’ such as tea bags, tinned goods and cereals, there may be options for those who have not yet been able to purchase a turkey or ham.

“We can talk to SVDP about acquiring vouchers for local butchers or supermarkets and together we can meet everyone’s needs. We just need the department to look sympathetically at our case and realise we need an additional allocation this Christmas.”

You can contact Cllr Sheehan to discuss availing of Revive’s food bank on 085 134 9020