January 2009, the country is in the depth of a recession but here in Castlebar there is a small light of hope for those struggling in these times of troubles. The St Vincent de Paul offices on Pavilion Road Castlebar have announced that donations are up 50% on last year.
President of the Holy Rosary Conference Martin Waters has stated that their annual collection held on the second Sunday every November was extremely well supported in 2008, well up on 2007. When asked how important these donations were to St Vincent de Paul, Mr Waters replied: “Without donations we close our doors, we go away, we wouldn’t exist. We are totally dependent on the money we get from the people of Castlebar.” Mr Waters who has been with the charity since 1981 went on to say that they do not get grants from the Government, nor do they look for them so they can “make comments either good or bad about the way the Government operates toward the people”.
Donations are the lifeblood of St Vincent de Paul organisation and with all the economic worries, companies donated most generously this year, and a new factor in Castlebar was employees also donated most generously. “There was a huge awareness with people this year, we are about 50% up on last year, we raised €40,000 on the day itself and a further €20,000 since,” Mr Waters commented.
Although Christmas is their busiest time of the year, with over 300 people needing their assistance, help is wanted and needed the whole year round. Kay Veale, area president since 1990, said that occasions such as the start of the school term, communions, and confirmations are also very busy times of the year. Uniforms, books, dresses etc, are a costly commodity and parents need help to finance these items. People also need help with paying their day-to-day bills such as their electricity and refuse collection bills. “This Christmas and also this January has been harsh weather-wise, and a lot of people were looking for help with their home heating bills which we try and contribute to.”
In organisations such as St Vincent de Paul time is as valuable to their cause as money. Mr Waters said if people cannot help on the financial side of things that could also help out greatly by donating their time, such as visiting the elderly in the Sacred Heart Home.
A new phenomenon over the past few months has been that people who used to contribute greatly to the charity are now the very ones looking for their help Ms Veale stated. “People who have helped us out in the past are now been laid off in the credit crunch, they are the ones now looking for our help and they find it very hard to ask for our help,” but she assured that all their conferences are private and confidential.
“This is going to be a busy year for us and we can only spend what we have. St Vincent de Paul is vital to a lot of families the whole year round and so are the donations to the organisation by the people of Castlebar,” said Mr Waters.
