Crosscare, the social care agency of the Archdiocese of Dublin, is appealing to people to support them online this Advent as they will be unable to hold their annual Parish Food Collection for those most in need.

Every December, Crosscare collected thousands of pounds worth of non-perishable foods to restock their foodbanks and support their community cafés.

This year, due to Covid-19 restrictions Crosscare will not be able to launch a food collection in the Diocese of Dublin as usual. However, in order to ensure they have adequate supplies, they are asking people to support them by making a donation on line to ensure families struggling to cope can have food on the table this Christmas.

Crosscare services have been stretched to capacity in 2020 as they adapted to help people on the margins during the pandemic.  When the Coronavirus outbreak began in March, Crosscare worked closely with the HSE and the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive to provide an extra 100 beds for homeless people. People were able to shelter in good quality accommodation, with their own rooms to ensure social distancing and personal safety among the homeless community.

Foodbanks have remained open, operating to strict hygiene and Covid safety standards to ensure families and vulnerable individuals got what they needed. So far this year, over 7,000 food parcels have been distributed. Demand remains high as many more people in our parishes and communities, who did not need support before, struggle with the economic downturn.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said he was proud of the way Crosscare had adapted to ensure that young people, the homeless, families in need and those who have been further isolated by the pandemic continued to be supported by Crosscare staff at this difficult time.

He appealed to priests and parishes to encourage those parishioners who would ordinarily have supported food drives and the unwanted gifts appeal to go on line and make a donation www.crosscare.ie

 ENDS