Foodbank to remain at centre after agreement

CLONDALKIN Helping the Homeless (CHH) are free to remain at Bawnogue Youth and Community Centre.

“Clondalkin Foodbank will continue to distribute food from Bawnogue Youth and Community Centre for the foreseeable future,” the Chairperson of the Centre, Dolores Byrne confirmed to The Echo last Friday in a statement from the board of the Centre.

Chair of CHH, Councillor Francis Timmons (Ind) was delighted with the news.

“It’s the best outcome. We got word yesterday [April 25]. The two boards have come to an arrangement.

There is a mutual arrangement, we have reached an agreement to stay where we are with some adjustments,” said Cllr Timmons.

He was pleased that progress was made over the issue. “We didn’t have a place to go, we can’t afford the rent, we are a small voluntary organisation, it [the Centre] is a great location,” he said.

According to the statement from the board of the Bawnogue Youth and Community Centre it was never their intention to ask CHH to vacate their premises.

“Following a recent article which appeared in the April 7th [11th] edition of The Echo, stating that Clondalkin Helping Homeless were asked to vacate our premises by June, Bawnogue Youth & Community Centre would like to state that this was never the intent.

We had a storage issue which needed to be addressed and following a recent meeting with the Manager of the Clondalkin Helping Homeless, this has now been resolved.

Clondalkin Helping Homeless will continue to distribute their weekly foodbank from the Bawnogue Community Centre for the foreseeable future,” the statement from the board of the centre read.

While Ms Byrne maintains that the Centre had never asked the Foodbank to move, according to Cllr Timmons the Foodbank was asked to move to a container belonging to CHH which is located in the carpark.

“Health and safety wouldn’t allow it, they are like ovens, it wouldn’t keep food,” Cllr Timmons said.

He added that while the CHH has some items in the container such as cups, delph and electrical goods for starter-packs for clients, he has no issue with the Community Centre using the container.

While there appears to be conflicting views regarding whether CHH were asked to leave the centre or not, it appears that both parties have come to a solution regarding the issue of space.

“By mutual agreement there will be some readjusting, they can use some of

[our] space and we can use it,” said Cllr Timmons.

“Life is about compromise, I am glad that agreement has been reached as otherwise the Foodbank would have ended,” Cllr Timmons said.