Public caring for the homeless
Homeless figures have risen to just under 9,000, according to Fr Peter McVerry SJ, who’s now calling on the Government to “let the investment funds shriek” this Christmas by providing affordable housing for struggling renters. After almost two years of a pandemic, the housing and homelessness problem has only worsened and the government has failed to solve any of the housing problems.
The public, sportspeople, and businesses, however, have been keen to do whatever they can to support people like Peter McVerry SJ and the Peter McVerry Trust which is a national housing and homeless charity committed to reducing homelessness and the harm caused by substance misuse and social disadvantage.
KeyWaste has a number of festive bin trucks brightening up Dublin streets and putting a smile on people’s faces. KeyWaste posted the festive trucks campaign across social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram) to help raise funds for Peter McVerry Trust. For each ‘like’ on KeyWaste’s posts, KeyWaste will donate €1. Similarly, for each ‘share’ of KeyWaste’s posts, KeyWaste will donate €2.
Neville O’Boyle, Co-founder said ‘We want to encourage the public to like and share our posts and in return, KeyWaste will donate funds to Peter McVerry Trust. KeyWaste was inspired to raise funds for Peter McVerry Trust as we are a waste management company. We collect waste from the streets of Dublin & from tens of thousands of homes across the city, but we also come in daily contact with those without homes. We want to spread the Christmas cheer by working with the public to help raise funds for the homeless community.’
To support KeyWaste in their fundraising you can go to Facebook- @KeyWasteIreland, Twitter- @KeyWaste1, LinkedIn- KeyWaste Management Ltd, and Instagram- @KeyWasteOfficial.
Meanwhile, Leinster Rugby has announced Peter McVerry Trust as its second charity partner of the 2021/22 season as part of the Charity Affiliate Programme which was first launched in November 2020.
The Peter McVerry Trust is a nationwide charity with its headquarters in Dublin, and it has a wide Leinster reach with a northeast regional office in Drogheda and another regional office in Naas. In all, it has a total of 53 services in the province of Leinster.
In addition to helping to raise the profile of Peter McVerry Trust, Life Style Sports, Leinster Rugby’s official retail partner, has come on board in association with Adidas, to donate cold-weather clothing to Peter McVerry Trust ahead of the winter months ahead.
“Winter is the busiest time of the year for our charity and this year we will work with over 10,000 people, a 20% increase on last year,” said CEO Pat Doyle.
“The partnership will increase public awareness of the issue of homelessness and the supports we can offer in Leinster and across Ireland.”
All charities have experienced fundraising problems due to the pandemic and Pat Doyle says that as Christmas approaches they are once again hugely dependant on the generosity of people who support their work. “Working with Leinster Rugby will raise much-needed funds to support people impacted by homelessness in Ireland and we’re incredibly grateful for their support and the support of their community.”
For the month of December, Leinster Rugby will lend its digital support to Peter McVerry Trust and its considerable efforts to fight homelessness in Ireland while the gift of cold weather clothing from Life Style Sports and Adidas will be delivered to the three Leinster based offices.
