Mags GarganMags Gargan speaks to the organisers of a successful parish food bank in Co. Kildare
Around this time last year the pastoral council of St Conleth’s parish in Newbridge, Co. Kildare was looking for ways that they could meet the needs of people in the community who are struggling to provide food for themselves and their families in the current economic climate. Inspired by the work of Bro. Kevin Crowley in the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin, they set up the ‘Share Food’ initiative last February. “We called a meeting looking for volunteers and 50 people turned up, which was beyond our expectations,” says Sr Eileen Murphy, who co-ordinates the project with Mairead Ryan and Gaye White.
Churchgoers are asked to bring non-perishable food items to Mass each weekend and leave them in special boxes provided at the three churches in the parish: St Conleth’s, Cill Mhuire and St Eustace Dominican Church.
Some donors bring individual items; others bring bags full of food. Volunteers afterwards remove the food to a sorting centre where best-by dates are checked and the donations are then bagged into food parcels. Cash donations are also welcome are used to buy more much needed food.
A discreet voucher system for distributing the food to those in need has been developed in conjunction with the St Vincent de Paul Society, local schools and other community organisations.
Mairead Ryan says what drives her each week to volunteer with Share Food is the need that she sees in the community. “Every week, so many ordinary people come to us looking for help. Young couples, elderly couples, a number of single men, people of all ages, and different social backgrounds, it takes so much to ask for help, and to be able to respond to this need is a great reward, and most definitely my driving force,” she says.
Giving feedback to the project one single mother who received food parcels gratefully remarked: “You will never know the difference this makes in my life!” A young homeless man said: “I love everything I get – really glad of the tea”.
Cyril Kevlihan volunteered for the scheme after seeing an advertisement in the parish newsletter. He thought it was a “fantastic idea” and now helps out in the distribution of food.
“I greet the people and give them the food parcels that we have that week. A lot of work goes on in the background to identity people in the community who need support and it is administered in a confidential way. You don’t pry into people’s business, but you do get to know people over time and the difficulties that they are going through,” Cyril says.
“There is a feel-good factor for both the people donating the food and the volunteers wanting to help in a meaningful way and contribute something positive to the community.”
This positive force has seen the people of Newbridge immediately embrace and support the initiative. Share Food has become one of the most vibrant church-based initiatives in the parish in many years and donations have far exceeded the initial expectations.
“The local people have been fantastic,” says Sr Eileen. “We have been giving out about 60-80 food parcels a week, but in the run up to Christmas that increased to over 100. It has really brought out the goodness in people.”
Last May, more Share Food collections points were established at venues in addition to the parish churches to facilitate non-churchgoers who wish to donate. As well as at the three churches in the parish, townspeople can now donate during the week at the parish centre in the middle of the town and at special collection points at Dunnes Stores and Tesco.
In November, the three co-ordinators were honoured with a Kildare People of the Year Award on behalf of Share Food, but the three ladies are keen to emphasise that it is the generosity of the donors and the energy of the volunteers that is at the heart of the success of the scheme.
“People are phenomenally generous,” says Gaye White. “We had heard a lot about the loss of neighbourliness. But Share Food is really touching everybody. There is something very, very good about this whole thing.”
Mairead also sees the community benefitting from the scheme in many different ways. “The people who share their food are more aware of their less well-off neighbours, and know that they are helping in a very real and practical way. The volunteers who work with the project are open and willing to help – we have found that many of our volunteers have not been involved in groups before, but this project seems to touch something deep within them – it is a very real way of helping, and of living the Gospel, where the Lord asks us to ‘feed the poor’.
“The same message about feeding the poor, is coming regularly, loud and clear from Pope Francis and I have no doubt our community have and are responding in a very real way.”
Parish priest Fr Joe McDermott agrees that the parish is trying to respond in a practical way to this challenge from Pope Francis by sharing food with those in need.
“Share Food is a wonderful example of the generosity of the people of the parish. It operates drop off points at two supermarkets and the parish centre, but 90% of the food is donated by Massgoers at the weekend,” he says. “The community is very much behind it and it is a terrific example of a parish being active in this present time.”
Fr Joe says that many people of the community now include Share Food during their weekly shopping, specifically buying non-perishable food items to donate.
“A lot of people are sharing food every week and have made it part of their routine,” he says. “The generosity of people is very persistent. They need little reminding from us about it because the consciousness is there.”
Coming up to its first anniversary the scheme continues to grow in strength with about €2,000 worth of food being distributed each week to people of the community who are struggling to make ends meet or to feed their family.
“It is safe to say, that this project has touched many people, one reason being we ask people to share food not money, so if you share a 20c packet of noodles or a €7 jar of coffee, your sharing is of equal importance,” Mairead says.
“All in all, our community has opened its arms to this project, they are aware and willing to help, from the young national school student to the elderly and house bound.”
For more information on Share Food see www.newbridgeparish.ie