Galway’s ‘new poor’ – working people struggling to make ends meet due to spiralling living costs – turned to Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) for help in huge numbers this Christmas.

The charity, which has 23 conferences in Galway City and County, distributed more than 1,200 Christmas hampers to households who were tight for cash this festive season.

“We are busier than last year; it’s crazy busy. We did 1,200 hampers last year and we will have more this year,” Marie O’Donovan, who manages SVP’s Food Hub for Galway City, told the Connacht Tribune.

She said people in employment presented in big numbers to Galway SVP conferences asking for help because of the high cost of living, particularly housing and food.

“The Government keeps saying inflation has come down, but food inflation is still rising. The cost of food in shops went up at the beginning of 2022 and it has not come down,” she said.

“Everyone is paying their rent because their priority is they don’t want to lose their house. But rents are astronomical in Galway City. And when you pay rent, and electricity bills, and then you try to feed yourself, you find that you don’t have the money to put food on the table or to get the extra bits at Christmas.

“I’m talking about working people. The Government says we have full employment, but we are coming across people on zero contract hours. They might be on 20 hours this week but only ten next week. They don’t have consistency of knowing what income is coming in every week.

“They’ve grown up in a society where you don’t ask for help, so they’re slow in coming to us and when they do come, they have multiple problems,” added Ms O’Donovan.

SVP distributed between 60 and 80 hampers weekly, but at Christmas that multiplied to more than 1,200.

The hampers were tailored for single people, couples and families and included Christmas essentials such as sweets, biscuits, and condiments.

Caption: Marie O’Donovan of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.

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