It was a case of moving out of the frying pan into the fire for many households this year having just shaken off the struggles of Covid – only to be laden down with skyrocketing living costs.

Two charities at the coalface of dealing with people in crisis have been inundated like never before during 2022.

Calls to the St Vincent de Paul (SVP) were up by 20 per cent this year compared to 2021, with people in shock at the huge cost of energy bills they are being landed with.

SVP Regional President West Maureen Mitchell said only the day before she took a call from a distressed woman who had been hit with an electricity bill of €1,200.

But most bills are between €300 and €400, which are sending some people over the edge.

Some 99 per cent of the requests this year are for help with energy bills and food – and in the last month for Christmas presents for children.

“I’m just now coming from the food hub to pick up hampers for my area. People have also donated new toys so those will now be sent out. We’ve 35 food hampers for our conference alone done up so our volunteers will distribute these in time for Christmas,” says Maureen.

“This is the absolute busiest time for us, the week before Christmas, and volunteers are out right up to the end delivering hampers. I’m in Dunmore and we have a huge area to cover.

“Our shops are very busy as well. Our volunteers also do home visits and support tenants in some houses we have ourselves. We have 55 tenants from the local authority housing list.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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