7,000 Limerick households to benefit from hampers of hope

THE REDEMPTORISTS have one mission this Christmas -to have food on every table in Limerick.

For the 51st anniversary, The Redemptorist Christmas Hamper Appeal will return to distribute hampers to an estimated 7,000 households in Limerick.

Last year, they distributed about 6,000 hampers to households around Limerick. Since the start of the initiative in 1972, an estimated 300,000 Christmas hampers have been distributed to the people of Limerick.

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Rector of the Redemptorists Limerick, Brian Nolan, said: “A lot of people are struggling more this year in terms of the cost-of-living crisis, the increase in food bills, the increase in energy bills. We estimate that we will have an increase in requests for support.”

According to Fr Nolan, some people may find themselves in need of financial help for the first time this year. “ There are people, I think, in this past year who maybe never were in need financially, who find themselves struggling. It may be that something like this hamper of food just helps them for that particular week, where they might need money for their needs.

Particularly around Christmas, there's a strong emphasis on buying gifts and buying presents for kids, and that can just put a financial strain on families.”

Speaking of the initiative, he explained: “Different organisations would come to us and they would say they need 400 hampers for people that they know are in need. We have a donation centre open every day of the week from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. People can also donate online on our website.”