They desperately need your help.

Every day, St Vincent De Paul (SVP) takes more than 200 calls from people who need the charity’s assistance in the run-up to Christmas.

The staggering number of calls come as the charity faces unprecedented challenges; the pandemic has led to the cancellation of the majority of their fundraising events and December collections, meaning up to 40% of their income could be lost.

Today, SVP South West’s Regional President Paddy O’Flynn said that this year it was “more important than ever” to support the Christmas raffle taking place on January 7th. All the funds raised go towards ensuring that struggling families have enough food and treats for their children over the holidays.

SVP provides up to 450 homes across Cork City with regular coal deliveries during the winter. Around 160 food hampers are delivered every week, with more than 1,600 food hampers set to be distributed in the run-up to Christmas.

“The people of Cork have always been very generous to us,” added Mr O’Flynn.

“This has been an exceptionally challenging year for SVP but particularly for the families and the people that we support. We depend on the generosity of our brilliant donors and we’re asking them to support us if at all possible, for this annual car draw raffle,” he said.

“We are turning to online appeals and distributing the SVP blue envelope to homes throughout the region in addition to our annual car draw and we would be extremely grateful for any support that we receive.”

How can I buy a raffle ticket?

Tickets for the raffle cost €5 each and can be purchased online here.

First prize will be a brand- new Ford Focus ST Line, donated by CAB motor company, with six cash prizes to be won also. The final date for entries is January 7th, 2020 with the draw taking place that evening.