‘No child should go hungry on Christmas Day’
"We believe that no child or family should go hungry on Christmas Day and this is why your support is so important."
Those were the words of Claire Lennon, the president of the Cavan Lions Club, which delivered a record 420 food hampers to struggling families in and around Cavan Town and county last Sunday.
Volunteers were busy last weekend at various collection points around Cavan Town supermarkets and members of the public responded generously. Claire is delighted to report that all hampers were delivered last Sunday, December 17 - twenty more than this time last year.
The hampers are most welcome. "The approximate value of the hampers distributed is €50,000," reveals Claire, who expressed her gratitude to all for their support.
"This year McCarren's donated 666 gammons to our food appeal collection, Cully's Bakery donated 400 bracks and swiss rolls and Dunnes Stores and Valu Centre Cash & Carry donated a large volume of groceries, along with local schools and the Cavan Institute who collect food every year," she detailed.
"Cavan Lions would like to thank all the local supermarkets who allowed us to collect, the local businesses who year on year support this great cause and, of course, the volunteers who worked collecting, building boxes, assembling hampers and delivering them on Sunday. Without all these people, we would be unable to carry on providing food hampers to local families easing a burden at Christmas," continued Claire.
She further explained how the club links up with families in need: "We get requests from sources such as social workers, other charitable organisations and agencies that work with disadvantaged families and children."
Appeal
The club president said they are looking for new volunteers for 2018 to continue their charitable and community work. "Our club is made up solely of volunteers running various fundraising events throughout the year. We always need new members to help us create new projects and run existing projects," said Claire.
"We meet once a month and typically run a community project every quarter. Many hands lighten the load. 100% of the monies raised at each event goes directly back into our local community of Cavan," she added.
If you would like more information about the Cavan Lions Club and its work or are interested in becoming a member please contact info@cavanlionsclub.com