A small Kilkenny team battle homelessness on Dublin’s streets

BY COLIN BARTLEY

A GROUP of five Kilkenny concerned citizens have been helping the homeless on the streets of Dublin for the past two and a half years.

Every two weeks ‘Kilkenny Helping the Homeless’ travel to the capital to provide hot food and clothes to people living on the streets.

The team, Mary Pierce, Brendan Pierce, Evelyn Hourigan, Linda Comeford and Larry Coady prepare all the food they provide to the homeless in Kilkenny and bring it to Dublin.

Mary Pierce of Kilkenny Helping the Homeless says as much as they can provide on each visit, it is still not enough.

Speaking to KilkennyNow.ie, Mary said: “For the last two and a half years, we have been travelling to Dublin with hot food and clothes for the homeless.

“Our cars are always full of food, clothes, toiletries, water, and treats. All the hot food we provide comes out of our own pockets.

“We rely completely on donations from the public, but the homeless situation is a crisis. No matter how much hot food we make, we never have enough,” Mary said.

The Kilkenny local says it’s a pleasure to help these people, but it’s tough leaving them.

“It’s such a pleasure to be able to provide this service to these people.

“At the end of the day we make our way home to a nice bed, the people we meet still have to make their bed in a doorway on a sheet of cardboard.”