Supported by Inishowen
Development Partnership, the Inishowen Food Bank was
set up in early April 2020. It has brought together
a number of charities throughout the peninsula
(including The Exchange, Buncrana; Spraoi agus Spórt,
Carndonagh; Trinity Court, Newtowncunningham;
Moville & District Family Resource Centre and Muff
Red Cross) to collect donations of food and
toiletries for distribution to local people in need.
Co-founder and CEO of Spraoi agus Spórt Helen Nolan
said: “I have been overwhelmed by the amazing
generosity and support from local businesses and
individuals who, in the space of only a few weeks,
have donated huge amounts of food and toiletries to
this project and have volunteered their time to the
operational running of the Inishowen Food Bank.
“More and more people throughout the peninsula are
finding themselves struggling to put food on the
table, which is of particular concern for older and
more vulnerable people and for a significant number
of families.
“I am therefore appealing to members of the public
to continue to support our efforts by donating food
and toiletries at our drop off / collection points."
Official drop off points have been organised
at SuperValu in Buncrana, SuperValu, Simpsons and
G&S supermarkets in Carndonagh, Trinity Court in
Newtowncunningham and at local supermarkets in Muff
and Moville.
Suggested items to donate include:
Jars – pasta sauce, jam, marmalade, baby food
Tins – baked beans, chopped tomatoes, soup, tuna
Store Cupboard – cooking oil, pasta, rice, tea bags,
coffee, sugar, cereal
Toiletries / Cleaning – soap, shampoo, toilet roll,
washing up liquid, toothpaste, baby wipes, nappies
Helen continued, “I would urge people who are now
finding themselves in food crisis, possibly for the
first time as a result of the lockdown, to please
get in touch with us as soon as possible.
“It is also important to stress that the Inishowen
Food Bank is a strictly confidential service, with
no questions asked, and has been set up to support
anyone in need during the Covid-19 emergency."
To avail of a free parcel from the Inishowen
Food Bank please call the helpline on 074 937 3303
(Monday-Sunday 8am - 8pm), email
support@spraoiagussport.ie or complete the order
form online using the link
www.surveymonkey.com .
Helen added, “Following the lockdown measures
introduced in March we also set up Project Cineál at
Spraoi agus Spórt to support vulnerable people in
the community. This initiative offers a wide range
of supports such as dealing with grocery and
prescription orders, arranging deliveries from local
supermarkets and businesses, providing arts & crafts
and exercise ideas, printing school resources, and
generally just being available on the end of the
phone for a chat.
“The Project Cineál service has had significant
take-up, with over 90 families benefiting, and is
greatly appreciated by everyone who has availed of
it. Indeed, one example of someone who has benefited
from our service is an elderly lady who lives alone
in a remote area of Inishowen. She has an underlying
health condition and has not seen her children for
seven weeks due to ‘cocooning’. She therefore avails
of the Project Cineál service to get her
prescriptions and shopping and has said: 'I could
not ask anyone else to do this for me – and words
cannot describe how grateful I am'."
In conclusion Helen said, “I would also like to take
this opportunity to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to
everyone who has already donated to the Inishowen
Food Bank and to our fantastic team of volunteers
from Carn GAA, Malin GAA, Carn FC, Inishowen Rugby
Club and Inishowen Athletics who have given up so
much of their time to support both the Food Bank and
Project Cineál." |
