St Vincent de Paul 'Empty Plate Appeal'

St Vincent de Paul's  (SVP) Empty Plate Appeal is being supported by four Donegal EuroSpars.

The Empty Plate Appeal will help reduce the chances of a child going hungry this festive season with all in-store donations being repatriated within local communities so those most in need this Christmas don’t do without.

According to EuroSpar, all in-store donations will be distributed within the local community and, this year, as an additional measure, these EuroSpar SuperEasy supermarkets will also be making an additional donation from selected own-brand sales in store.

A EuroSpar spokesperson said: "With nearly one third of all calls received each year by SVP a request for food, EuroSpar Retailers are facilitating shoppers donating non-perishable items at their local EuroSpar supermarket for the benefit of their local St Vincent de Paul Conference.

"While shopping in McClafferty’s EuroSpar, Gortahork; Kee’s EuroSpar, Laghey; Kernan’s EuroSpar, Newtowncunningham; and Whoriskey’s EuroSpar, Ramelton, shoppers are asked to place any non-perishable items in the trolley or receptacle designated for the Empty Plate Appeal.  

"The campaign is taking place through Christmas and into early New Year and in order to allay any concerns around the distribution and transferral of food, all contributions will be converted to their monetary value at the end of the campaign and will be converted into EuroSpar vouchers. The vouchers will then be given to the local St Vincent de Paul Conference."

Malachy Hanberry, EuroSpar Managing Director said: “These EUROSPAR Retailers have a long tradition of supporting charities and those most vulnerable in our society. Christmas is a time for giving and for generosity and their facilitating of this fundraising initiative, as well as the additional donations from selected own-brand sales in stores, for the St Vincent de Paul is another example of their commitment to the communities they serve.”

Of the 160,000 calls made to SVP in 2021, 50,000 of them were requests for food. SVP National President Rose McGowan, said: “We are extremely grateful to the EuroSpar stores and staff for the effort  they are putting into this venture. It is a great way to provide their customers with an opportunity to help so many people in the local communities in which their stores are based.

"This year more than ever the Society is relying on support of this nature as we have received more calls for help nationally than at any other time in our history.

“We estimate that by the end of the year we will have received almost 200,000 calls for help.

"It is through initiatives such as the Empty Plate campaign that we are to provide help to so many and we urge those in the communities served by EuroSpar shops to support it," said Ms McGowan.