{"id":7268,"date":"2016-11-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svp.matrix-test.com\/article\/st-vincent-de-paul-calls-on-public-to-say-yes-and-help-50000-families-avoid-an-empty-christmas\/"},"modified":"2024-05-24T16:20:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T15:20:54","slug":"st-vincent-de-paul-calls-on-public-to-say-yes-and-help-50000-families-avoid-an-empty-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.svp.ie\/news\/st-vincent-de-paul-calls-on-public-to-say-yes-and-help-50000-families-avoid-an-empty-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"St Vincent de Paul calls on public to say YES and help 50,000 families avoid an empty Christmas."},"content":{"rendered":"
SVP expects to receive over 50,000 calls for help in the run-up to Christmas.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe level of help we can provide will depend on the generosity of the Irish people\u201d, said SVP National Vice-President Kieran Stafford at the launch of the Society\u2019s Annual Appeal today (16 November 2016).<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhile our immediate concern is to help families avoid an empty Christmas,\u201d said Mr. Stafford, \u201cour longer term focus is on helping families to break the cycle of poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cSupport from the Society is primarily given to help people through particularly difficult times, but we also work with families to avoid the same difficulties recurring through generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The theme of the SVP Annual Appeal, which was launched by RTE\u2019s Ryan Tubridy, is \u201cYour yes can last a lifetime\u201d.<\/p>\n
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A series of advertisements to highlight this message will be published during the Annual Appeal, which runs until the end of the year. They are all based on real examples from the experience of SVP members visiting families in their homes.<\/p>\n
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One tells the story of Katie.<\/p>\n
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When Katie was 5, her mother got sick for two weeks. This led to two weeks without pay from her casual cleaning job. The family fell behind on their rent. It was all the excuse their landlord needed to evict them. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Katie\u2019s education never recovered from the many moves that followed. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When she started her own family, she had no qualifications and a low income. Putting food on the table soon became a struggle.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another tells the story of Jane.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At 3 years old, Jane\u2019s father began suffering from depression and this in turn led to alcoholism. Her mother tried to look after the seven children but family life was difficult and it wasn\u2019t long before they were in debt. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At 18, Jane got a low-paid job and moved out. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But without a family she could fall back on, times were tough. It wasn\u2019t long before she was overdue on her first bill.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kieran Stafford said: \u201cThese stories demonstrate how just one problem can tip a family into a crisis. Most of those who seek the support of St Vincent de Paul are struggling week in and week out on a basic minimum income.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt is when they encounter an unexpected cost or a period that requires higher spending, such as Christmas, that they critically need SVP. The Society spends almost \u20ac35m per year on direct assistance. We help with the costs of food, energy, and education, as well as toys at Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe depend almost entirely on donations from the public and corporate supporters in order to be able to provide this help.\u00a0 We ask people who want to support our work to please say yes to our Annual Appeal and give locally or online.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nichola Mullen, Head of SVP Fundraising, said that in addition to making donations directly there are other options to support at www.svp.ie\/appeal<\/a>. These include the Giving Tree appeal<\/a>, the Food Appeal <\/a>and a virtual gift store.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n