WHILE the run-up to Christmas will see Fermanagh families use their local foodbank for the first time ever this year.
Nicola Wieczorek and her colleagues from Enniskillen’s Santander
branch will sleep rough on the streets of Enniskillen on December 12, to raise awareness and essential funds for local poverty.
“We hope that by putting ourselves through a night on the street,
people will realise how important this is and donate to the cause and help support families in our community who have been forced to live in poverty,” explained Nicola.
“Covid-19 has forced thousands of families to use foodbanks for the
first time. A lot of people have been made furlough for long periods
of time or have lost their jobs.
A lot of businesses have closed and it doesn’t look like it’s going to
improve any time soon so the demand is only going to get worse and no family should have to go hungry.”
Nicola added, “It is of great importance to help our local foodbanks.
It’s a fantastic way for everyone to get involved in supporting your
community.
“They not only provide people with emergency food parcels but provide compassionate, practical support to people in crisis.
“Where we work, we see more and more people struggling financially and the more we know about our local charities and the support they provide the better we can help.”
Speaking on the positive impact they hope their donations will make, Nicola told the Herald, “We know that whatever we raise will go towards buying food for the emergency parcels for the families that need it the most.
“We hope that what we are doing will raise more awareness of what
foodbanks do and we hope that we can get a message to anyone that is living in poverty that there is help available.
“Christmas is a difficult time for a lot of people. It is usually the
busiest time of year for foodbanks and this year will certainly not be an exception.
“Volunteers will be going above and beyond to ensure that emergency food parcels are ready for families who need them.
“They are also there to talk to and help guide people out of poverty
and we can all play our part in this by donating or even just talking
about it to increase awareness.
“Maybe your own family or friends are struggling to keep their heads above water and don’t know this help is available to them. The more we talk about this the more people it will reach.”
Nicola and her colleagues will be taking to the streets of Enniskillen
on Saturday 12 December between 7pm and 7am.
To donate, visit their GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/a-rough-night or visit Nicola’s Facebook page to find the link.
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