Newington continues to help support those most in need within our Communities
Over the past few months, the Association has been regularly engaging with our community partners within the North Belfast Advice Partnership (NBAP), who have painted a grim picture of the increasing need for interventions in the provision of food, basic essentials, help with utilities and the acquisition of white goods. It was also evident that this demand is likely to significantly increase over the coming weeks, in the run up to Christmas, when the financial demands on already struggling households always increases.
Given these challenges, our Housing & Communities Committee recently decided to re-designate this year’s Brian Mullan Funding pot to financially support some of our partner organisations delivering essential frontline intervention initiatives, throughout North Belfast.
For many years and particularly during the festive period, the Association has also supported the essential work which the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) do in providing crisis support to those most in need. Traditionally, most local SVP conference funding is received via weekly collections at Mass and as these have been restricted due to Covid-19 regulations, their usual funding streams have been significantly curtailed.
To assist our partners within NBAP and SVP at this time, our Board of Management has recent awarded the following funding grants:
North Belfast Advice Partnership – A grant of £5,000 has been awarded to support the delivery of their ‘Foodbank Christmas Hampers for families, couple and individuals’ & their ‘Sponsor a Child Appeal’.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul – A grant of £5,250 has been awarded to support the delivery of their crisis intervention and Christmas Appeal. The funding will be distributed to the following four SVDP conferences:
- St Patricks Conference – £3,000
- Holy Family Conference – £750
- Resurrection Conference – £750
- St Therese Conference – £750
It is envisaged that these funding grants, totalling £10,250, will make a significant difference to the lives of many residents within the communities we serve.
Commenting on the award, Sinead McKinley from NBAP said “On behalf of everyone at NBAP, I want to take this opportunity to thank Newington for their continued support. This year, we know Christmas will be very difficult for many families, therefore this generous donation of £5,000 will really make a massive difference and allow us to help more local North Belfast families than ever before”.
Jacqui Gilmore, Head of Housing & Communities at Newington Housing went on to say “ At a time when many people are not only struggling financially; but also emotionally, physically, mentally and who face many uncertainties and personal challenges ahead, we hope this financial support will go some way to help alleviate some of life’s pressures during these difficult and challenging times. On behalf of the Board and staff at Newington, I wish to express our sincere gratitude to organisation such as NBAP, SVP and the many other local community and voluntary organisations, who provide these essential and invaluable services to an ever increasing number of households within our communities”.
Finally, anyone wishing support the initiatives being delivered by NBAP and SVP can do so by contacting the respective organisations directly or via the Association on 028 9074 4055.
