Westport’s SVP hopes to help 100 families over Christmas

Áine Ryan

ONE hundred families in the Westport area will be supported by St Vincent De Paul (SVP) over the Christmas period, it has been confirmed. Just like throughout the country, while the economic recovery may be helping some families deal with the extra expenses over the festive period, many in Westport, and Co Mayo,  still struggle to make ends meet.
The Westport conference of the charity says its provision of assistance to such families is ‘in no small measure’ due to the ‘generous support’ of the local community.
“Today, it can still just take one small problem to tip someone into crisis and poverty. But the same is also true, a little help at the right time can change everything for someone in need,” said Marie Ruane, Westport conference president.
She explained that to meet the ongoing needs in the community, the conference needs to raise €100,000 each year.
The SVP collection Sunday is on next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, November 28 and 29 and the annual appeal runs up until January 6.  
Speaking ahead of the annual appeal, Mr Kieran Stafford, SVP National Vice-President said:
“SVP is often the first port of call with volunteers working with families to relieve acute financial pressure and give them the space to breathe and increasingly avoid homelessness. Visiting families in their homes allows our volunteers to see at an early stage when meeting increasing rental costs are placing an extreme financial burden on such families.”
This year the SVP Annual Appeal will focus on the message “Say Yes to St Vincent de Paul because your help can last a lifetime.”
“Most of those who seek the support of St Vincent de Paul are struggling week in and week out on a basic minimum income, either from state payments or from low-paid employment. It is when they encounter an unexpected cost or a period when additional expenditure occurs, such as Christmas, that they critically need SVP which now spends an average of €40m per year in direct assistance, primarily on food, energy, education, clothing and furniture as well as toys at Christmas,” Mr Stafford said.

MORE www.svp.ie/appeal


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