St Vincent de Paul gets vital support from credit union
By Aideen O'Flaherty
THE Kilnamanagh-based St Kevin’s conference of poverty charity the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) welcomed a donation of €500 from the Kilnamanagh Credit Union on Tuesday, as the pandemic has meant the charity “couldn’t collect a penny” through their usual fundraisers since March.
This is the second year in a row that Kilnamanagh Credit Union has donated €500 to the St Kevin’s conference of SVP.
John Canning is presented with a cheque for €500 from Elaine Durney of Kilnamanagh Credit Union
Last year, they made the donation in honour of Margaret Ryan, one of the Kilnamanagh Credit Union’s founding members and former chairperson, after she passed away in November 2019, while this year Marie Sealy from the credit union was instrumental in organising the donation.
John Canning from the St Kevin’s conference of SVP told The Echo: “It was great to get the donation.
The Kilnamanagh Credit Union has been very good to us in the last couple of years.”
Explaining what the past few months have been like for the charity, Mr Canning said: “Every second Sunday we usually hold a church gate collection and that’s what keeps us going, but we haven’t been able to collect a penny since early March.”
Mr Canning said that, as many people have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, there is increased pressure on their services, along with people who have been receiving assistance from SVP since before the pandemic began.
“There are an awful lot more people looking for help now compared to this time last year,” he added.
“We’re seeing a lot of young fellas who have lost their jobs because of Covid, but they’re trying to have the same Christmas as last year for their children.”
If people in Kilnamanagh need assistance from SVP, they can leave their name, address and telephone number in an envelope, and put it in the letterbox at the back of St Kevin’s Church.
Similarly, if someone wants to donate to the conference, they can also put their details in the letterbox and will be contacted.
“Even though we’re trying to fundraise at the minute, we’d never leave anybody stuck,” said Mr Canning. “We’ve never turned away a genuine case.”
As for Kilnamanagh Credit Union, their donation to SVP is one of many they’ve made to local causes over the years, including St Kevin’s Family Resource Centre, Kilnamanagh Residents’ Association, Run for Rita, Kingswood Castle FC and Kilnamanagh AFC.
Elaine Durney, manager of Kilnamanagh Credit Union, said: “Our ethos has always been to be here for the household who needed a new washing machine, a shoulder to cry on or the funds to put a loved one to rest.
“This ethos is as strong today as it was in the beginning and our members remain our priority when considering new products and services.”
Ms Durney added: “Kilnamanagh Credit Union is here to support you, whatever the need.”
For further information on Kilnamanagh Credit Union, call 01 462 1577, email info@kilnamanaghcu.ie or visit www.kilnamanaghcu.ie.
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