Cork charity served 1,500 dinners on Christmas Day 

KINDNESS is embedded in the DNA of our city, the Lord Mayor has said, as one of Cork’s oldest charities served over 1,500 meals on Christmas Day.

For the volunteers of Cork Penny Dinners, Christmas Day 2022 set a new record, with a thousand meals served that day.

In the past year, however, the cost-of-living crisis has meant that volunteers in the charity, which was founded in Victorian times, regularly break that record n a daily basis.

This year, Penny Dinners served over 1,500 Christmas dinners on the big day, with hampers delivered all over town, and far beyond it, too.

The elves were working hard in the kitchen from before dawn, Penny Dinners volunteer co-ordinator Caitríona Twomey told The Echo, and they ensured no-one went hungry.

“We were visited by some old friends, among them Santa Claus, the High Hopes Choir, the Barrack Street Brass and Reed Band, the Bishop of Cork and Ross, Bishop Fintan Gavin, and the Lord Mayor, Cllr Kieran McCarthy,” she said.

“We have miracles here evert day, but we had a Christmas miracle thanks the kindness of the people of Cork.” Cllr McCarthy said he had been very moved by his visit to Penny Dinners on Little Hanover Street and James’s Street.

“From my experience of meeting so many people, kindness is a core strand of the city’s DNA,” Mr McCarthy said.

Cork Penny Dinners was serving takeaway meals at its premises on Little Hanover Street from 9am on Christmas morning, with sit-down meals served in the Croí na Laoí wellness centre on James’s Street.

“I knew we would be inundated with calls on Christmas morning. [James's Street] was phenomenally busy. They were saying to me here 'We thought you were exaggerating', but in the end we served well over 1,500 meals on Christmas Day,” Ms Twomey said.

Ms Twomey said the day would not have been possible without the work of volunteers, the gardaí, the Defence Forces, the Organisation of National Ex-Servicepeople (ONE), Executive Cars, the River Lee Hotel, Il Padrino, Tesco, Dunnes, and all who helped to make Christmas a special day at Penny Dinners.

"Michael Tuttle of Executive Cars delivered 300 meals, 47 dinners to Castlemartyr, and as far away as Kanturk,” Ms Twomey said.

“We have the place pretty much ship-shape now to start it all over again tomorrow, and we will be out later tonight, on Christmas evening, to give dinners to anyone who is sleeping rough tonight.” 

On the day before Christmas Eve, two Cork singer-songwriters raised over €8,000 for Penny Dinners in the third annual busking marathon fundraiser.

Their first year was “half rained-off”, Whitechurch native Dylan Brickley and Farranree man Korey Power told The Echo on Christmas Eve, but they still managed to raise in the region of €3,000 for Cork Penny Dinners, and last year they raised almost €6,000.

Dylan Brickley said the support that the fundraiser had received this year had been beyond everyone’s expectations.

“We’re delighted to back here again this year doing it for Penny Dinners, and do you know what, I was looking forward to this all year,” he said.

Ms Twomey told The Echo that between now and New Year’s Day, the charity will serve an estimated 10,000 meals.