Struggling Tallaght families turning for help to soup kitchen
By Mary Dennehy
STRUGGLING Tallaght families are contacting a community-led soup kitchen for spare food – a distressing increase in demand which has prompted the homeless service to call on local businesses to help them secure a premises.
For more than a year, VISIT [Voluntary Independent Service in Tallaght] has been providing meals, sleeping bags, warm clothes and support to Tallaght’s homeless – due to donations from individuals, community groups, businesses and a number of takeaways located in and around the village.
Established by residents, the not-for-profit service feeds up to 20 homeless people a night from its collection point at St Mary’s Priory, with volunteers now supporting families at risk of homelessness to stay in their homes.
This week alone, volunteers and members of the public are replacing a kitchen for a family living in Killinarden, whose kitchen was destroyed by fire on October 26.
Nicola Moore, of VISIT, told The Echo: “This family is living in a council house and we all know that the council’s budget doesn’t cover the big jobs.
“This family’s kitchen was destroyed and everything is smoke damaged, right down to the forks.
“A number of local businesses have come on board, such as Advance Skips and Aurora Electrical, and we have gutted the kitchen and are replacing it with a new fitted kitchen, replastering the ceiling and donating items to them that have been donated by members of the public through the VISIT Facebook page.
“An older couple live in the house with their daughter and one-year-old grandchild and they are not in a position to renovate the kitchen.
“The house is not fit for purpose, so we have decided to help them to stay in their home and we can’t thank the community for all of the support they have offered.
“This family will now have a house that’s a home for Christmas.”
While busy all year round, November and December will bring increased demands for VISIT – which is already receiving requests from struggling Tallaght families for any spare food from their nightly food runs.
Nicola said: “It’s very sad that so many families living in houses across the area are struggling to feed themselves, and that they have had no option but to contact a soup kitchen for spare food.
“We had a few requests for spare food last year, but they’ve definitely increased this year and we will, with the support of the community, help as many families as we can – and continue with this support over the Christmas period.
“However, we desperately need a base, a unit where we can store all of our items and donations.
“At the moment, everything donated is spread across the homes of volunteers and it can be hard to take in bigger items donated, like beds.
“We would love if somebody could come on board and offer us a unit somewhere, it would make all the difference.”
In August, the local branch of St Vincent De Paul told The Echo how it was experiencing an increase in calls from families looking for basics such as food, a demand which they expected to increase in the run-up to Christmas.
Anybody who can support the voluntary homeless service or is looking for support is encouraged to contact VISIT through its Facebook page or by calling 085 7885945.
