Help the Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021 feed the hungry in Limerick

Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021 – Pictured at the Limerick Milk Market are Olivia O’Brien, LFP Coordinator, Fr Seamus Enright, Co Chair of LFP and Redemptorists, Eileen Hoffler, Redemptorists and Roisin Ross, Healthy Limerick. Picture: Richard Lynch/ilovelimerick

Help the Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021 feed the hungry in Limerick
By I Love Limerick correspondent Rachel Petticrew

Pictured at the Limerick Milk Market are Fr Seamus Enright, Co Chair of LFP and Redemptorists and Professor Niamh Hourigan, Vice President of Academic Affairs in Mary I and Co Chair of Limerick Food Partnership. Picture: Richard Lynch/ilovelimerick

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The Limerick Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021, supported by Limerick Food Partnership, has a very simple aim – to put food on every table in Limerick this Christmas.

First established in 1972, the appeal distributes food parcels to thousands of homes in need throughout the festive period.

Food poverty, the inability to access a nutritious diet due to cost, education, transport, literacy, or cultural issues, has become an increasing problem in Limerick.

Co-chair of Limerick Food Partnership and Director of the Christmas Hamper Appeal, Fr. Seamus Enright, told I Love Limerick, “The central statistics office calculates that 8% of people in the midwest suffer from food poverty.

“We hope that over the Christmas season, working with our partner organisations, the Christmas Hamper Appeal can deliver 6,000 food parcels to families and individuals who are in need here in Limerick.”

There is an enormous team of volunteers involved in creating and distributing these generous hampers.

“We can’t do it on our own,” acknowledged Redemptorist Perpetual Help Fund development officer Eileen Hoffler.

“Each year, we rely on volunteers to help us pack the hampers and more than thirty community organisations to help us to distribute them. Delivering 6,000 hampers provides quite a logistical challenge and requires a lot of input. We’re very grateful for the support of our volunteers.”

Despite requiring a sizeable voluntary effort, what the Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021 needs most is donations.

“We recently ordered €200,000 worth of food,” said Fr. Enright. “The order is soon to be delivered, but we don’t have the money yet.”

“Carrying out the appeal would not be possible without the support of Limerick people,” Ms Hoffler added.

Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal 2021 donations, including cheques, can be made out to ‘Redemptorist Perpetual Help Fund’ and sent to Fr. Seamus Enright at Mount St. Alphonsus on the South Circular Road, Limerick City. Donations of food and new toys are also welcome at Mount St. Alphonsus.

Limerick Food Partnership, coordinated by PAUL Partnership, consists of a host of voluntary organisations, local community groups and state agencies, who have come together to tackle food poverty by raising awareness and improving access to healthy food options in Limerick communities.

Limerick Food Partnership is funded by the Redemptorists and Healthy Ireland, by way of Healthy Limerick and Limerick CYPSC, through Limerick City and County Council.

For more information on the Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal, go HERE 

For more information on Limerick Food Partnership, go HERE 

For more stories on Limerick Food Partnership, go HERE 

For more stories on the Redemptorists go HERE