‘I had a stroke and decided to help': Meet two volunteers at Cork Penny Dinners

When Chairman of Trustees, Gary Heslin, showed me around the new impressive premises of Penny Dinners on James Street in late 2024, ahead of the Christmas rush, it was fascinating to see cheerful volunteers buttering bread, bagging sandwiches, preparing takeaway packs, and setting off delivering food parcels to the homeless on the streets of Cork.

“Volunteers are our life-force,” said Gary when he spoke to me then for The Echo.

“They are a great bunch of people.

“Our employees and our volunteers are important to keep our services going 365 days a year, seven days a week, from 9.30am to 3pm.”

As 2026 is the International Year of the Volunteer, and invites us to celebrate and recognise their incredible contributions, I spoke to two of the Penny Dinners volunteers - Lisa Murphy and Paul McHugh.

Lisa is a former service user and knows what it is like to fall on hard times.

“I had a drink problem, and I was out of home as a result,” says Lisa.

“I fell on hard times when I was homeless from 1999 to 2002, and I found it hard to make ends meet. Penny Dinners helped me out.

“My dad passed away and my beloved dog died and I went back on the drink.”

Now Lisa, who was named Volunteer of the Year for City North at the Cork Volunteer Awards in 2025 for her dedication to the Mayfield community, is back at Penny Dinners as a volunteer.

“I want to give back to those who helped me when I was going through dark days,” says Lisa.

“I volunteer at Penny Dinners four days a week. I enjoy having the chat and the cuppa there. The people of Cork were so good to me.”

She has an important role.

“And I am the happiest going,” says Lisa, who was also honoured with a joint Cork Person of the Month award for April.

Meanwhile, fellow Penny Dinners volunteer Paul McHugh has his own remarkable story of why he joined up.

Paul, who is married to Patricia, and has a daughter, Sarah, and who lives near Dunkettle, suffered a stroke.

“The Christmas after I recovered, we decided we wouldn’t have a selfish Christmas,” says Paul.

He and his family wanted to spread joy and goodwill.

“We wanted to get something more out of Christmas than we usually put in,” says Paul.

The family signed up for Penny Dinners.

“Patricia served meals. I delivered meals to the homeless on the streets of Cork city with Sarah,” says Paul.

“I remember calling to one little old lady living on her own to give her a meal. She said hello to us. Then she said the meal was very important for her, but having the company meant even more for her. It would make your heart bleed.

“We met a number of single Cork mothers who were very grateful to us when we called to them.”

Sometimes, we can be are unaware of how the other half live, and we might not be far from needing that help ourselves.

“We are often close to struggling ourselves,” says Paul. “We are only a step away. People can often be on the verge of just going below water.

“I know an older man who comes in on his own for a bit of grub who fell on hard times. It’s sad.”

Paul has become an important part of the team at Penny Dinners, who have been serving food to the people of Cork in need for 137 years.

“I went into Penny Dinners to volunteer one day a week,” says Paul.

“The staff there are fantastic. They are cheerful, helpful, willing.”

They brighten up even the darkest day.

“They are all colourful people!” says Paul.

“I couldn’t get over the amount of people working away together, chatting away together, doing their assigned job, happy out.

“They were giving of their time to help people in need out of the goodness of their hearts. No questions asked.”

Paul was doing the same thing?

“I’m only the Mickey Mouse!” says Paul laughing.

What else has struck him about volunteering at Penny Dinners?

“The people who came in for food seemed so badly off,” says Paul.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of people who come into Penny Dinners to get a hot meal. They are always so appreciative.

“The people of Cork are always so supportive.”

The volunteers, ranging in age from teens to 75 at Penny Dinners, are dedicated to their important jobs.

“When you walk in and see the volunteers setting up shop, setting up the tea and coffee stations, buttering loaves of bread for sandwiches, helping the chef, chopping and peeling vegetables for hot meals to serve to the service users at Penny Dinners, it is just amazing,” says Paul.

“The cráic and the banter among the volunteers and the staff is brilliant.

“It is just amazing to a blow-in like me! I am a Dub’.”

There are two things services users really want at the charity in James Street in Cork city.

“They want respect and a bite to eat,” says Paul.

“The people availing of Penny Dinners are honest to God people.”

Paul says it is heartbreaking to see more and more young people down in the dumps.

“It breaks my heart to see young women, twenty-something women, who haven’t changed their t-shirt in a week because they have no change of clothes. The existing drug-problem people are regular.

“The staff at Penny Dinners always help them out and give of their time to them.”

Paul is doing his best. “I can help out in a small way,” he says.

Cork Penny Dinners is located at 13 James Street Cork city, T12PN7X

Phone: 021-2066544 or email:corkpennydinners.ie