Sir, – The Society of St Vincent de Paul wishes to express our solidarity with MP MacDomhnaill (August 26th) and the thousands of others in Ireland who are experiencing distress and suffering as a result of the recession.
We know that many people, particularly those new to need, are facing their problems in isolation. Imagine the isolation of pretending to your neighbours that all is well with you and then closing the front door knowing there’s nothing to eat in the house. Our 9,500 volunteers across the country see this every day and I wish to communicate this message to the wider public on their behalf.
If you need help, the Society of St Vincent de Paul is here for you. Please be reassured that there is somewhere you can turn where you will find a confidential and non-judgmental listening ear. You may not realise that we can help you – we can. You may not know that we help people from all walks of life – we do. You might be feeling completely alone – you are not. If you are in difficulty please contact us.
The SVP can help with putting food on the table, heat and light in the home and helping with education. We may not be able to deal with large debts but we can provide support and friendship and help you to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Details on our website, or from our national office on 01-8386990. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – We can talk all we want about macro-economics, the euro, bailouts, interest rates and quantitative easing, but the words of MP Mac Domhnaill (August 26th) remind us again that this economic crises is about the crushing effect the situation is having on so many lives.
Unfortunately there are tens of thousands like MP Mac Domhnaill – folk who have always paid their bills and their taxes and are now being crushed and demoralised due to years of short-term vote catching expediency. Will we learn from this? I pray to God that we do. – Yours, etc,