St Vincent de Paul put out call for volunteers

“We are humbled by the generosity of the people of Westmeath and, on behalf of the Society and those we endeavour to help, we say a sincere ‘Thank you’ for your continuing support,” SVP Mullingar Branch president Martin Shaw said of the public support for the work of the charity.

The charity operate SVP Vincent’s shops in Castlepollard, Kinnegad and Mullingar. They also coordinated the distribution of the hampers for those seeking support.

“It’s a very busy time for Vincent de Paul,” Martin said. “We’re in the middle of our Christmas appeal. People in Mullingar have supported us; schools, workplaces and individuals have sent in bags of food and we’ve delivered them. So we’re pretty busy at the moment.”

Martin says they will distribute hampers to 420 people this year.

There are more people who need help, but are reluctant to ask: “There are people who are ashamed to ask. Sometimes other people ask on their behalf.

“We work closely with the Lions Club and Frank Dillon, we compare notes to see who we prioritise for help. The whole thing operates on volunteers.”

Those volunteers are what make the whole operation possible:

“We have about 15 volunteers who do the work. We’re always looking for more. Normally it’s about two hours a week, but it’s invaluable.”

If you would like to volunteer you can drop into your local SVP Vincent’s thrift shop in Castlepollard, Kinnegad or Mullingar, or go to the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Ozanam House, Mullingar.