The president of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Mr Noel Clear, has said that "it is necessary for leaders of Church and State to highlight the importance of maintaining an ethos of voluntary service in our country".
At the launch in Dublin yesterday of the society's annual report and its appeal week, he said that "voluntarism" was under threat in Ireland with every voluntary organisation experiencing difficulty in recruiting people now "so engrossed in the pursuit of life". There were, he said, increasing demands on everyone with many people working long hours.
He agreed that in these days of the Celtic Tiger, the society was as much in need of people who would give time as it was in need of money. It had always attracted people of a certain (older) age, he said, but was now launching "a programme of regeneration and development of the organisation".
Its membership nationally was about 9,600, he said and he drew attention to the many people who were now retiring early and who could help the society, particularly in its visitation to people, the elderly and many stay-at-home mothers.
These included increasing numbers of those the society's national secretary Ms Columba Faulkner referred to as "grannies in their 30s" - young women left to rear their grandchildren because their own children had abandoned their children because of addiction. Mr Liam Tuomey, president of the society's Dublin region, said its autumn recruitment campaign had attracted 750 freephone inquiries with 600 potential members attending information evenings. Many of these were people in their 30s and 40s who were generally under-represented in the membership. The biggest gap it had, apart from some schools and colleges, was of people in their mid-20s to 40s.
Meanwhile "the demand for our services is still growing and changing but we are determined to respond both now and into the future", said Mr Clear. The society's total expenditure for the year was £16.5 million. It paid out cash assistance of £4.4 million, up 12 per cent on 1998.
Food, clothing, furniture, and fuel cost more than £4.5 million, an increase of 6.4 per cent on 1998, while housing developments increased by 28.5 per cent to £1 million.
Educational and personal development services were up 36 per cent to £750,000, while hospital visits and holiday breaks cost £1.4 million, up 14 per cent. The society's shops development cost £500,000.
Church gate collections accounted for the greatest source of revenue at £5.15 million last year. Donations accounted for £3.4 million while fundraising brought in £1.6 million. State grants amounted to £3.1 million.
Research among members established the "overwhelming view" that "the gap between rich and poor in Ireland is actually increasing", Mr Clear said.
He ended by appealing to "anyone interested in serving in a Christian voluntary organisation to join us . . . may I just remind everyone that unless we get your help, we can't give it".
