LISTEN BACK: Local mothers going without food so child can have school lunch

A record 228,301 calls for help to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) in 2022 and a further increase in January of this year already shows that targeted and permanent supports are needed for households in crisis.

The 2022 figure represents a 19.5% increase on 2021 and already this year some SVP regions are experiencing a similar increase over the same period last year.

The organisation's regional representative Madeline Uí Mhealóid told the Wider View this week that 25% of the calls are from people and families who never had to access the the charity's services before.

But first, she began by highlighting the plight of some mothers who are going without food so their child can have something in the lunchbox for school.