Navan SVP warns it is running out of cash

An alarming rise in poverty levels in Navan is putting the local St Vincent De Paul Society (SVP) under increasing pressure as it is rapidly running out of funds. The society faces a severe shortage of money as it battles to meet exceptional demands in the current recession. In fact, the problems in the town are so great at the moment that the organisation has established two new conferences (branches) in Navan, both of which are already extremely busy. Because of the urgent need for additional funds to assist the rapidly growing numbers of needy families in the town, the society will be holding a series of fundraising events in the coming weeks and members have made a heartfelt appeal to the public to support these efforts. The first of these fundraising events will be a table quiz in Navan tomorrow night (Thursday). Navan area president, Catherine O'Connor, said the recession has seen a huge increase in the number of people seeking the organisation's help. "Funds are drying up. The population of Navan has grown and there are a lot of big new estates. There is a lot of unemployment and people are faced with high rents and high mortgages, which they cannot manage," she said. Ms O'Connor pointed out that when somebody loses a job, it can take several weeks for social welfare to come through. She said that a lot of people are going to go cold this winter as they struggle to pay fuel bills. "Fuel bills are high and one of the first things to go when people are struggling is heating," she said. The profile of people looking for help from the society has changed greatly in the past year or so. "We now have the new poor coming to us. People who would never have known in the past what it was to be short. People who had been doing alright during the boom years but who hadn't prospered that much," she said, Ms O'Connor said with wage cuts and people on three-day weeks, a lot of people who are still just above the ceiling for medical cards are in difficulty. "Their incomes have fallen but they still have to pay to see a doctor or dentist and they are leaving these on the long finger," she added. "We had to assist a lot of people with back-to-school expenses this year. The book grant was gone and despite prices falling elsewhere, the cost of uniforms and books have gone up," she said. "We are running out of funds as, in the last year or two, we haven't taken in as much as we spent," she said. "I am appeaing to the public to suport our fundraising activities. Please try and help as much as you can. We will be holding various fundraisers over the coming weeks," she said. A table quiz in aid of the Navan SVP takes place in The Lantern, Watergate Street, tomorrow night (Thursday) at 8.30 p.m. Tables of four or five are €10 per team member. Queries or entries to (087) 663 8881. The quiz may be the first of a series of events outside of the society's annual collections. The organisers hope the public will respond with its usual generosity, and would be grateful to others who might consider staging future charity functions in aid of the society.