ST VINCENT DE Paul has appealed for people to donate money and toys if they can in the run up to Christmas as donations are down this year.

It emerged today in the Irish Examiner that the Cork branch of the charity had run out of toys as donations had dropped.

A spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that the situation is varied around the country but that the Navan area had also had difficulties with toy donations.

Cork needed more toys and food, he said, adding that there was generally an issue over donations to the charity.

Generally they are down at 20 -25 per cent for the annual appeal across the country. The generosity is still there, the number of people donating is holding up, but the value of donations is down; people don’t have as much to donate.

SVP has been asking people to donate if they can over the last few days before Christmas.

“We appreciate there are a lot more people struggling,” said the spokesperson. “There are a lot more people who would have donated to charity in the past who are coming to this society for help.”

Geoff Meagher, SVP National President, acknowledged this week that the current controversy surrounding charitable donations has probably had an effect, but said that the SVP also appreciated that there were other pressures on donors this year such as reduced personal incomes and family needs.

He said that the SVP will continue to give assistance to those in need and will respond to requests for help.

If people wish to donate, they are encouraged to ring their local SVP office and see what sort of donations they need. Anything that is donated locally stays locally.

A full list of regional offices can be found on SVP.ie.

Read: Calls to St Vincent de Paul more than double in three years>

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