Community pull together
By Maurice Garvey
OVER 400 elderly and vulnerable people benefitted from a major community initiative, which saw the delivery of gift packs and a hot Christmas meal, reports Maurice Garvey
The project was organised as a community effort across a number of local organisations, funded in the main by Dublin City Council and Ballyfermot Chapelizod Partnership (BCP).
CEO of Ballyfermot Chapelizod Partnership, Anne Fitzgerald and Lord Mayor Hazel Chu
BCP led the co-ordination of this effort, which saw numerous other local groups involved, including Ballyfermot Community Association, Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre, community gardai, Ballyfermot Youth Service, Star Ballyfermot, WHAD project in Cherry Orchard, Markiewicz Centre, De La Salle GAA club, Dublin City Council and many individual volunteers.
Volunteer drivers collected gift packs (including warm blankets, puzzle books, the Christmas edition of Irelands Own, sweets, a calendar etc) at BCP offices and hot meals from either Ballyfermot Civic Centre or Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre.
Each of the 420 recipients had the opportunity to talk to the person delivering the hot meal and gift pack as reducing social isolation was part of the initiative.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu dropped by the Ballyfermot Civic Centre on December 17 to support the initiative.
Anne Fitzgerald, CEO of BCP said: “this latest initiative brought together a wide range of local services and local people to support local older and vulnerable people.”
Cllr Daithí Doolan (SF) said: “It was great to welcome An tArd Mheara Hazel Chu to Ballyfermot. She came out to support the community groups and 50 volunteers who are providing a great service.
Really shows the compassion that makes Ballyfermot a great community.”
TAGS news
