Well done, you have helped SVP this Christmas!

CHRISTMAS is a time for giving, and for thinking of those who need a helping hand.

So, we are delighted that 20 cents from every copy of The Echo sold today will go towards a very deserving cause, in the shape of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP), which reaches out to and provides a wide range of services for vulnerable people locally and nationwide.

It is a great way for us, and for our army of readers, to give a boost to a brilliant local cause in the run up to the festive season.

This donation extends to 20 cent for every copy of our sister paper, the Irish Examiner, that is sold today, and also, throughout the month of December, our company will donate €5 for every new subscriber who joins our community.

SVP Southwest Regional Co-ordinator Gerry Garvey said they are “delighted at the Echo initiative”. He added: “All funds raised will be used throughout Cork and Kerry to assist families and seniors through this very challenging winter.

“This year, in addition to the traditional needs of food on tables and heat in homes, we have the added challenge of spiraling energy costs which are difficult to even quantify but many have more than doubled.

“The cold winter temperatures, especially after Christmas, further impact those at the fringes of society in poorly insulated homes and with very limited incomes.”

The donations made by our readers today will help make it a happier Christmas for many in our community.

Founded in Ireland in 1844, the SVP is the largest voluntary charitable organisation in the country, and we salute the work it carries out on behalf of vulnerable people.

Mr Garvey said: “This Christmas, SVP will deliver more than 3,500 food hampers throughout the region, will assist some 950 homes with coal and other heating sources, and will expend more than €167,000 on energy costs to literally keep the lights and essential equipment going.”

Karen O’Donoghue, Managing Director of The Echo and Irish Examiner, said: “We are delighted to support St Vincent de Paul again this year, a charity who provide invaluable and worthwhile support to people in need.”

We would like to wish all at the SVP - and all the people it is helping in the coming days - a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy 2024.

Want to donate to SVP this Christmas? You can do so here.