Lions to deliver 300 plus parcels

Over 300 super hampers will be delivered by members of Cavan Lions Club this Sunday, December 18, to needy families in and around Cavan Town and all over the county.
Volunteers will be collecting items for their annual food appeal at collection points in Dunnes Stores and the two SuperValu stores in Cavan Town this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 15-17. The local club have already completed their collections at Tesco in Cavan and Bailieboro in November.
The current president of the Cavan Lions Club is Daragh Boylan and he said there are around 11 active members in the club.
“Every Christmas we receive lists from several charitable organisations, including St Vincent De Paul, and also from social workers in relation to people who could do with some help around the Christmas period. The help they receive from us is in the form of food hampers,” explained Mr Boylan.
The collections provide most of the non-perishable goods for the hampers. “Essentially shoppers buy an additional item during their shopping and put it in the box on the way out,” he outlined.
The non-perishable items such as meat, for example, are then funded through the Lion’s Club own resources, raised through fundraising such as its annual ball. The volunteers assemble the hampers before delivering them.
“Last year was our busiest year by some distance – we assembled 390 hampers for delivery on the one day. Our goal this year is to distribute around the 300 hampers mark. I know there might be a demand for more, but it is important for us that the hampers are all substantial - that we have enough food to go into them and our objective is to give every family who receive a hamper, enough food for a full week,” explained Mr Boylan.
“If we have more food this year and more cash, we will do more and it will be down to the generosity of the shoppers during our collections times,” he added.

New poor
He pointed out that there is the so called new “hidden poor” out there and some are too embarrassed or proud to apply for help and it is only courtesy of Social Workers that their plight becomes known for the purposes of receiving a hamper. “We don’t have access to those families and some may not be on St Vincent de Paul lists. When we get a genuine lead of that nature from a Social Workers, it is something we absolutely endeavour to look after with a hamper,” he revealed.
“We received more of those names last year, than we did in previous years,” added Mr Boylan.
“When we are delivering the hampers we often meet so many children in houses that don’t have a shirt on their back – it is a humbling experience and depressing. It is lovely to be able to walk away and say they will have food for the next couple of weeks – that they will have a nice Christmas,” he continued.
Mr Boylan wishes to thank all the people who donate so generously to their collections and those who come along to the dinner dance and the sponsors of the raffle prizes.
Cavan Box supplies all the boxes in which the hampers are made-up and delivered - thanks to Anselm and the team there. He also thanks the Scouts, who pack the hampers and Abbeyset Printers, who print all the fliers and stickers.
Mr Boylan also stresses that Cavan Lions Club is always looking for new members.
Next year their first fund raiser will be the Cuilcagh climb in the month of May and all the funds raised from that goes to Cavan Cystic Fibrosis. Over the past six years to have handed over €36,000 to CF Cavan.
At the start of July, 2017, they will stage their second golf classic at Cavan Gold Club and all the funds raised from that will go to SOSAD.
They also organise a trip for the elderly from Castle Manor with the help of Margaret Basmajian.