St Vincent de Paul seeking volunteers in Tipp

The Society of St Vincent de Paul is a long established charity, having been supporting people in need throughout Ireland for over 180 years.

There are branches or Conferences in most towns or neighbourhoods where people can request help. There are over 11,000 volunteers all over the country. SVP helps in a wide variety of ways through providing food or fuel, transport to hospital appointments, sorting out a bill, educational needs, household requirements. This often prevents worry and stress and contributes to better health.

SVP can also intervene with service providers on behalf of clients or refer people to other agencies which offer suitable solutions. A helping hand can prevent further problems and allow people to regain independence and self-sufficiency, and put an end to sleepless nights. Donations are all used locally, in Templemore and surrounding areas. Thank you for your generous support at collections.

You can also donate online and specify branch where you want your donation to go. Meetings are held fortnightly. Volunteers will visit or arrange a meeting with applicants to see how best to help. Information provided is treated in confidence. Encouragement and advice as well as practical support give hope to those experiencing a crisis. Before long, applicants should feel better and able to regain confidence.

To know more about how your skills and experience can make a difference to people in need, go to SVP.ie and see how volunteering might be very rewarding for you. Only a few hours a week are needed to bring compassion and kindness to people in your community going through a difficult time. SVP has managed to work through recessions, wars, a pandemic and every kind of upheaval in society.

Can you keep a good tradition going? Chat with your local group and find out how you can get involved. Your local conference is made up of people of different backgrounds, careers, ages and insights. The goal is to guide people out of difficulty to a point where they will never need us again. A friendly listening ear is the first step. Training is provided and Garda vetting is required.