St Vincent de Paul seeks volunteers in Offaly

The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) is recruiting volunteers in Offaly to offer practical help and bring dignity to people experiencing poverty and hardship. Volunteering with SVP is flexible, rewarding and rooted in local need, from visiting people who request help, to assisting in shops and supporting community projects.

Niamh McDonnell, a local SVP volunteer, said, “When I qualified, I moved home and joined a local conference and it is probably one of the best decisions I have made. I can no longer remember exactly when I joined, but I saw the impact of that 2007 recession tidal wave. People who had been fine, should have been fine, were underwater very quickly. Jobs evaporated as multinationals moved, the construction industry seized up and that was catastrophic. It was devastating. In the middle of all that, SVP was there to help.”

“Our conference is made up of people of different backgrounds, careers, ages and stages with unbelievable insight and skillsets. We have helped people into situations where they will never need us again and that is the focus of our work.”

SVP is inviting people in every community to get involved and make a real difference. If you can spare even a little time each week, SVP will match your skills and availability to where you’re needed most in Offaly, whether that’s offering a friendly listening ear on home visits, helping customers in our shops, or lending your expertise to community projects.

To find out more about volunteering with SVP, visit svp.ie/volunteer or free text ‘SVP’ with your name and county to 50100 — and we’ll be in touch to discuss how you can make a real difference in your community.