Pennies from heaven for Penny Dinners as Cork's oldest charity receives funding

A CORK charity has extended its gratitude after being whittled down from hundreds of nominations to receive vital funding.

Cork Penny Dinners joined Ballyhea National School, Gaelscoil An Chaisleain and Muskerry Macra Na Feirme as beneficiaries of Analog Devices Annual Community Awards and Charitable Donations Programme.

Analog Devices has made financial donations to a total of 39 charities and voluntary groups across Munster. It is hoped the support will help salvage missed fundraising efforts during the pandemic.

Analog Devices employs almost 1,300 people at its sites in Limerick and Cork. Each year the company engages with its employees to decide where to allocate community funding. Cork Penny Dinners and The Samaritans were among those to benefit from funding.

Speaking on behalf of CPD which serves up to 2,000 freshly prepared meals each week, volunteer coordinator Caitriona Twomey said:

“We are very mindful of those who think about us and support us through donations. They are the wind beneath our wings. 

"We have a very tough day, working almost 24/7, but we see the huge difference that our service makes to people’s lives every day. This contribution is part of a lifeline to those who are struggling."

Donations were made across four categories including, gold, silver and bronze. As the company’s long-standing charity of choice, Milford Hospice in Limerick received the platinum donation.

Some 30 schools, sports clubs, artistic organizations and charitable causes across Munster received donations under the bronze category.

Leo McHugh, from Analog Devices Ireland ADI explained why this year's funding was so important.

“The last year has been extremely challenging for everyone, for our employees and for those in our wider community. Many of the organisations chosen play a critical role in supporting the needs of the more vulnerable in our communities and while others like the sporting clubs can’t necessarily fulfill their mission right now because of restrictions, their services may be in more demand than ever when we move out of this crises. We hope that the contribution that we’ve made will help them continue to do what they do in this difficult environment.” 

Shane Geary from ADI also commented on the initiative.

“There is a huge interest from our employees in how we engage with our local community. The organisations that they nominated are close to their hearts for many different reasons. At a time when many charities are struggling to run their usual fundraising activities, we are delighted to be able to continue supporting so many worthwhile organisations through our community donation programme.”