Back-to-school help still needed: Cork Penny Dinners hope to help 150 children

A Cork charity said it has seen a marked increase in demand for its services ahead of children returning to school at the end of the month, and is appealing for donations of school-related materials.

With some schools returning next week, Cork Penny Dinners volunteer co-ordinator Caitríona Twomey said the charity has noted a sharp rise in people seeking its help in recent weeks.

“People are being cut to the quick and juggling what money they have, but if you don’t have it, you can’t juggle it,” she said.

Ms Twomey said she has been swamped with calls from parents seeking help, and the charity is seeking donations of hardback copybooks, highlighters and markers, geometry sets, pencil sets, and schoolbags, as well as help with school uniforms and new, warm winter coats.

“We would hope to be able to help as many as 150 children, but we need the public’s assistance to do that,” she said.

Ms Twomey added that Joe Byrne, the proprietor of Joseph’s Hair Salon in Glasheen, was “an unsung hero” for organising donation drives around this time of year.

Mr Byrne said that while the Government’s decision last year to provide free books at primary school level had undoubtedly helped families, it had the unintended effect of reducing the level of donations, while some families still required help.

“People say, ‘Sure haven’t they got the school grant now, they don’t need as much?’, but the need is still there,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) said the provision of free schoolbooks at primary level had resulted in a drop in calls to SVP offices at back-to-school time and the charity expected to see a similar result this autumn, as free books are provided at Junior Cert cycle.

However, they said, SVP volunteers deal with many parents who are struggling with costs for additional school materials, school uniforms, and ‘voluntary’ contributions.

The charity has called on government to introduce free schoolbooks for senior cycle, and to increase the capitation grant by 30% to reduce the need for parental contributions in the forthcoming budget.

It comes as Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he wants to examine how children can be provided with hot school meals outside of school term to address “holiday hunger” in disadvantaged families.

Speaking at a Fine Gael event in Dublin, Mr Harris said the measure was being considered by his department’s child-poverty unit.

Noting that the hot-school-meals programme had been expanded, meaning that more than 345,000 primary pupils were now eligible, he said the next step was to address “holiday hunger”.

He added that there will be a range of cost-of-living supports and measures for businesses in the Budget, adding it was “important” to use a financial surplus to support struggling families.

“I want parents, working families and people right across Ireland to know we’re eager to do more,” Mr Harris said.

The Taoiseach’s comments come amid growing speculation that the general election, which has to occur by March 2025, will be called between the budget on October 1 and Christmas.