Lions Club launch Christmas hamper appeal in Waterford
Pictured is Mayor of Waterford City & County Cllr. Jason Murphy launching the Lion's Club 46th. Christmas Hamper Appeal 2024 with Lion's Club President William Cuddihy. The proceed of this years appeal will go to St. Vincent De Paul towards food which will be distributed by Waterford Foodbank. Included are David O'Neil, Regional Co-Ord, St. Vincent De Paul and Lion's Club Members. Photo: John Power
The Waterford Lions Club have launched their annual Christmas Hamper Appeal for 2024.
The appeal is in its 46th year, with around 1,300 households across Waterford supported by the initiative.
The club will host a series of fundraisers to provide struggling families and older people with food hampers and vouchers to help with the cost of Christmas.
Lions Club PRO Patsy Sheridan told the Waterford News and Star that the families who receive these hampers are the ones who really need them.
“We know food will go into these homes this Christmas,” said Mr Sheridan.
The public is asked to support the Lions Club fundraising efforts starting this week.
A week of street collections started on Friday, December 6 and will finish on Saturday, December 14.
On December 12, at the Tower Hotel, the Lions Club will host an auction of items donated by local businesses.
Details of the auction and the items up for grabs will be available in next week’s Waterford News and Star.
On December 14, at the Cathedral, they will host their Christmas Carol concert with a full orchestra.
Mr Sheridan says this is one of the biggest Christmas events of the year, with the Cathedral “packed to the rafters.”
“We would like to thank the people of Waterford who are always so good to us,” said Mr Sheridan.
All of the money raised is used to supply hampers.
This year, the Lions Club will also support the food bank in Waterford- an initiative in its second year.
The hampers include turkey and ham, along with a few other items for struggling families to enjoy the holidays.
“It’s needed out there. We started on a small scale, and it has built and built over the years.
“There is a lot of work that goes into it. All 41 members are involved in some ways,” said Mr Sheridan.
The Lions Club work with St Vincent de Paul conferences across Waterford.
Those conferences manage lists of people who need help, and they make requests to the Lions Club for hampers or vouchers.
This means the Lions Club provide the hampers, but they do not know which households they are supporting.
“So, they are going where they need to,” said Mr Sheridan.
Mr Sheridan said many people in Waterford rely on the hampers at Christmas, from older people to working families.
He said not everyone can afford Christmas and for some that means for some, December 25 is just another day.
“Christmas Day is not Christmas in some homes,” said Mr Sheridan.
He said more people need help at Christmas, with some working families struggling to afford day-to-day expenses as well as Christmas.
“People are working and paying for things like electricity and heating, and then when Christmas comes around, they don’t have anything left,” said Mr Sheridan.
