The Transition Year students would like to express their sincere gratitude to everyone who supported their food collection this week. The kindness shown by our school community and members of the public made this year’s effort especially impactful. As well as gathering donations in school, the TY students dedicated a full day to collecting items in Swords Pavilions Shopping Centre and Swords Central. Positioned outside Dunnes Stores, SuperValu and Penneys, they asked shoppers to pick up one extra food or clothing item for individuals experiencing homelessness. The generosity they encountered far exceeded expectations with many shoppers generously donating multiple items.
 
Here is just a small sample of the food we collected from Dunnes Stores, SuperValu and the school donations:
– 8,610 tea bags- 172 kg of pasta – 41kg of pasta sauces- 36kg of cereals- 263 packets of biscuits- 255 packets of crisps- 290 tins of food- 26 kg of rice – 654 tampons/sanitary pads- 30 packets of wips- 1,620 nappies
 
When added up, the students collected an estimated €5,840 worth of goods from Penneys! This includes:
– 227 hats- 320 pairs of gloves- 489 pairs of socks-18 pairs of shoes- 57 jumpers- 11 winter coats- 22 scarves- 95 pairs of underwear- 41 toothbrushes
 
The TY students would also like to extend their thanks to the management at Swords Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords Central, SuperValu, Dunnes Stores and Penneys for once again welcoming and supporting this initiative. These organisations have facilitated this collection every year since 2017 and their continued cooperation is a key reason the project can take place.
 
According to figures published by Focus Ireland, there were 16,614 homeless people in Ireland in September – a record high. Initiatives like our TY food collection may seem small in the face of such large numbers but they make a very real difference to individuals who rely on homeless services for food and warmth. As we enter into a weekend with an orange rain warning, it is a stark reminder that there are a lot of vulnerable people in our communities who depend on the kindness and generosity of others.
 
All items were donated to the soup kitchen “Friends helping Friends.” “Friends helping Friends” is a soup kitchen based on Westmoreland Street twice a week. They provide hot meals, hot drinks, snacks, sandwiches and clothes for up to 300 people every night. They also provide food parcels for people living in food poverty. The soup kitchen is run entirely by volunteers and they rely 100% on donations of food and clothing from the public.
 
For more information on this organisation and the work they do, please click the links below. 
https://www.facebook.com/friendshelpingfriendsDub/
https://www.facebook.com/friendshelpingfriendsDub/videos/448111389188384