A charity who support about 120 people every night has been gifted a €30,000 van to help them carry out their incredible voluntary work.
The new Renault Trafic van was kindly donated by the dealership on the Old Belgard Road in Tallaght, Dublin to the Feed Our Homeless charity on Friday.
The vehicle will be used by the Dublin organisation to pick up much-needed supplies and donations and transport them around the city.
Tony Walsh, the founder and chief executive of Feed Our Homeless, which fed more than 1300 people at their thrice weekly soup kitchens before the pandemic, said: “We're up to 120 or 130 people a night [that we're engaging with] out there so everything is up.
"The demand for services is up and the vans that we have are just flat out at the minute.
"I'm in Wicklow with one van today, there's another van, an outreach service on the street, there's another van doing pick-ups.
"Without the vans and the volunteers we can't do what we do.
"So, the pressure is on us.
"We're up 40% in the food provisions we are giving out, the rough sleepers on the streets and the demand for our services has also increased."
Meanwhile, Louise Mullen, the Belgard Renault marketing manager, said: "We came on board with Feed Our Homeless last year and they are a fantastic charity who do wonderful work.
"We're delighted to continue our partnership with Tony and all of the volunteers who offer such vital support to those who they engage with on a daily and nightly basis.
"When we heard about their need for a van last year it was a great opportunity for us to get involved and offer our help."
