Wheels for meals: Kilkenny homeless charity needs bigger vehicles to transport huge food donations

A small group of five volunteers who travel to Dublin to feed the homeless are appealing for a van due to the overwhelming generosity of people in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny Helping the Homeless cannot fit all the food, clothes, toiletries, water, treats and toys, as well as tables, cutlery, and cooking stoves into the two cars they use to drive to Dublin, to help those living on the streets.

They started a Facebook appeal, hoping someone can assist in providing them with a van, or a van that they can subsidise.

Mary Pierce, one member of the amazing group, speaking to KCLR said: “The donations have been flooding in. All thanks to the people of Kilkenny, we are getting more and more stuff. Because of the amount we receive, we now find we have to leave stuff behind as we just don’t have room in the cars.

“We are appealing for a van, or a van we could subsidise – just something we can transport all the food and equipment in. We just don’t have the space in the two cars – there is no space at our feet and the cars are crammed to the roof.”

Every second Saturday, 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, then bring it to Dublin.

They fill two cars full of food, clothes, toiletries, water, treats and toys. Everything Kilkenny Helping the Homeless provides comes from either their own pockets or donations from the public in Kilkenny.

If you can help Mary and the Helping the Homeless team, you can contact them on their Facebook page – www.facebook.com/Kilkenny-Helping-The-Homeless