Westmeath Eurospars support St Vincent de Paul at Christmas

Forde’s Eurospar Kinnegad and Hughes’ Eurospar Mullingar are supporting are supporting the St Vincent de Paul (SVP) Empty Plate Appeal this year. All in-store donations will be used within the local communities so those most in need this Christmas don’t do without.

As an additional measure, the Eurospar SuperEasy Supermarkets will make an additional donations from selected own-brand sales in store.

While shopping in Eurospar Kinnegad and Eurospar Mullingar, shoppers are asked to place any non-perishable items in a trolley or receptacle designated for the ‘Empty Plate Appeal’.

The campaign is taking place through Christmas and into early new year and in order to allay any concerns about the distribution and transferral of food, all contributions will be converted to their monetary value at the end of the campaign, and offered as Eurospar vouchers, which will then be given to the local St Vincent de Paul Conferences.

Malachy Hanberry, Eurospar managing director, said: “These retailers have a long tradition of supporting charities and those most vulnerable in our society. Christmas is a time for giving and for generosity and their facilitating of this fundraising initiative, as well as the additional donations from selected own-brand sales in stores, for the St Vincent de Paul is another example of their commitment to the communities they serve.”

Of the 160,000 calls made to SVP in 2021, 50,000 were requests for food. SVP national president Rose McGowan, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Eurospar stores and staff for the effort they are putting into this venture. It is a great way to provide their customers with an opportunity to help so many people in the local communities in which their stores are based.

“This year more than ever the society is relying on support of this nature as we have received more calls for help nationally than at any other time in our history.

“We estimate that by the end of the year we will have received almost 200,000 calls for help.

“It is through initiatives such as the Empty Plate campaign that we are to provide help to so many and we urge those in the communities served by Eurospar shops to support it.”

Eurospar Kinnegad nominated for two national awards

Willie Forde’s Eurospar Kinnegad has been nominated for two Checkout National Grocery Retail Awards, 2021.

The inaugural Checkout National Grocery Retail Awards are an amalgam of the renowned Checkout Best in Fresh awards and National Retail Supplier awards and Forde’s Eurospar Kinnegad has been shortlisted in the Excellence in Fresh Food Retailing in a Small Supermarket and in Retail Store of the Year Small Supermarket categories.

Willie Forde, owner and operator of Forde’s Eurospar Kinnegad, said: “We have been proudly serving the community in Kinnegad since 2016 and are thrilled with these nominations. To be recognised in two categories is a true reflection on the quality of the staff working in Eurospar Kinnegad and I want to thank them sincerely, as well as thanking our customers, of course.”

Due to the ongoing restrictions, the National Grocery Retail Awards 2021 winners will be announced at a virtual awards event at noon on Monday December 20.