Fighting hardship - Charities need help

The Society of St Vincent de Paul is one of the backbone charities in this society.

It has stood between hardship and misery for tens of thousands of Irish people for decades. It is an unfortunate fact that it, and so many other charities, are all but overwhelmed as they try to meet the demand for their services today.

Between Monday and Friday of last week there were 3,907 calls to the St Vincent de Paul offices in Dublin from people seeking help, many for the first time. There has been an 80% increase in calls to the Dublin, Cork and Galway offices since 2009.

It does not take a great imagination to see the hardship and struggle behind these figures. Those of us lucky enough to be able to help in this endless task should do so. It was never more needed.