The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) has been deprived of around €1m in funding after eastern European gangs raided the charity’s secondhand clothing containers, writes Sean O’Riordan.

Three champions of Cork City’s poor and homeless were among those honoured with civic awards last night.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul is spending €2,000 a month disposing of rubbish dumped in its clothing donation bins — including the remains of dead animals.

Aifric McGlinchey talks to St Vincent de Paul about their work in rural areas. 

Meath treasurer Brendan Dempsey has accused former sponsors Comer Group of leaving the county €60,000 short.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has said the Government is "seeking to take an individual case-by-case approach" to people who are not getting sufficient rent supplements to afford the increasing costs in the private rental market.

Tyrone defender Conor Clarke could make a dramatic return to action for Omagh in Sunday’s Ulster club final — just six months after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Welcome to your Friday morning briefing. Let us ensure you’re up to speed on what’s happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

Brendan Dempsey has helped feed thousands of hard-pressed families in the Cork region in his role as vice-president of St Vincent de Paul. Now he’s delighted a dedicated, professional charity is about to take up the strain.

Food banks are to be set up by charities across the country in an attempt to feed the estimated 600,000 people suffering from food poverty.

The Government’s plan to provide humanitarian assistance to those whose homes have been damaged by the severe winter storms is repeating the mistakes of the past and is not fit for purpose, according to the Cork regional vice-president of St Vincent de Paul.

For the first time in its history, St Vincent de Paul has run out of toys for distribution to families — five days before Christmas.

A Cork pub is to open on Christmas Day to serve 100 free dinners to elderly people and families in need.

Former millionaires who have been ruined by the recession are relying on the St Vincent de Paul to feed their families.

Deepening austerity measures are pushing households into a “live for now” culture, causing shrinking savings and risks triggering a fresh personal finances crisis.

Up to 50,000 Irish homes have either no flood cover or are at serious risk of losing it, while insurance companies operate a cartel to maximise their profits, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.

Silvercrest Foods, an Irish factory at the centre of the burger controversy has this evening announced it is to suspend production at its plant.

No decision has yet been made on how to dispose of the 10m burgers taken off the shelves due to horsemeat contamination — and one of the country’s busiest emergency food providers has said it would not give them to its clients.

The Cork branch of St Vincent de Paul is putting forward proposals to create a national fund which would aid thousands of householders and businesses who can no longer get flood cover from insurance companies.

Silvercrest Foods, an Irish factory at the center of the burger controversy has this evening announced it is to suspend production at it's plant.

Families already swamped by rising service costs and increasing bills could be pushed to the brink and end up as “the new poor”, experts warned yesterday.

The Christmas gifts have been doled out to lots of oohs and aahs — and silent sighs.

An army of volunteers has mobilised to help the St Vincent de Paul respond to record calls for help.

Padraig Boland is the new chairman of Offaly GAA.

Students left penniless by the college grants fiasco are turning up hungry at St Vincent de Paul and welfare offices for food parcels.

Cheese, fresh meats, and baby food are among the most common items stolen from supermarkets, as shoplifting rates soar.

Cash-strapped families face higher prices for everyday items like food and clothes as inflation rose three times faster than expected last month.

St Vincent de Paul is preparing to set up a special fund in Cork to cover any shortfall between the cost of repairing flood-damaged homes and payouts from insurance companies.

Schools must stop forcing hard-pressed parents to pay over-the-odds prices for their children’s uniforms — some of which cost up to 15 times more than less-expensive, generic brands.

The two charities Páraic Casey was raising funds for by swimming the English Channel for have seen donations swell by thousands of euro in the aftermath of his death.

People whose homes and businesses were affected by last month's flash floods in Cork have been told they will be able to apply to a humanitarian fund for help.

The State’s emergency fund response to Cork’s flood disaster has been branded as “pathetic,” with government ministers accused of peddling “meaningless, empty rhetoric” about financial aid.

Helpless flood-hit families in Cork city and county will receive no direct aid from the Government.

Nobody has been successfully prosecuted for illegal moneylending in this country over the past seven years, even though it is believed the practice is rife across the country.

Gardaí have said they are powerless to take on illegal moneylenders unless people start giving evidence against these criminals

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has suggested the public may have to choose between a child benefit means tests system or a potential new tax on rich families receiving the support.

Schools across the country are clamouring to offer free breakfasts to pupils as they’re increasingly concerned that children are not being fed before coming to school.

A child who collapsed in a Cork City primary school was found to be “severely undernourished” — a condition widespread in slums and famine zones.

Elderly people are going to bed early and staying there later in the morning to try and keep warm without a fuel allowance to fund their heating bills.

Seamus McEnaney last night survived a “no confidence” motion and will remain in charge for Meath’s Leinster SFC first-round game against Wicklow on May 27.

Church gate collections are up 11% on last year, the St Vincent de Paul Society in Cork said, but calls are up by 30%.