Trocaire makes urgent appeal for return of boxes from Kilkenny as donations expected to fall 60% from last year’s €88k
Trocaire has made an urgent appeal for supporters in Kilkenny to return donations from their Trócaire boxes online or over the phone as it faces a 60% drop in revenues for its Lenten Appeal.
The appeal raised €88,143.35 last year in Co. Kilkenny through the Diocese of Ossory.
The charity’s biggest fundraising campaign has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with supporters unable to return their Trócaire boxes due to ongoing restrictions.
Two-thirds of this money comes from Trócaire boxes distributed through parishes and schools and due to travel and social restrictions, this means most boxes have not been returned this year.
Trócaire warned that unless donations from the boxes are returned, it is facing a massive funding crisis that will impact directly on the three million people who rely on its work overseas.
“Every year people in Co Kilkenny fill their Trócaire boxes to support the world’s poorest people. But the closure of churches and schools means that support is not getting through this year, Trócaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra said.
“Thousands of boxes are sitting in homes right across Ireland and unless these generous donations are returned, we won’t be able to provide life-saving support to some of the poorest people in the world.
“We are asking our supporters in Co Kilkenny to ‘make your Trócaire box count’. Please count or estimate what is in your box and donate the equivalent amount online, over the phone or via post.
“Many parishes have their own local arrangements in place for collecting Trócaire boxes, so people can also contact their local parish to see if it is possible to return their box within social distancing guidelines.”
How to return your Trócaire box donation
Simply count or estimate what is in your box and donate now in one of these four easy ways:
- Online at trocaire.org
- Over the phone at 1850 408 408 (ROI) or 0800 912 1200 (NI)
- By post to Trócaire, Freepost, Maynooth, Co. Kildare (ROI) or Trócaire, 50 King Street, Belfast, BT1 6AD (NI)
- Check with your local parish if it is possible to arrange a safe drop-off.
Pictured: Habiba Mohamed, one of Trócaire’s health workers, checks the temperature of Mohamed Abdi Ali at Luuq hospital, in the Gedo region of Somalia
