A County Tipperary community soup kitchen saw an increase in people needing support during and after the pandemic.
Volunteer with the Clonmel organisation, Ina Doyle, says the need for their services has grown significantly as a result of the rising cost of living.
She told Tipp Today that she has many families who are unable to make ends meet and people from all walks of life need help in the area.
Ina predicts that many people will face the hard choice of paying their bills or putting food on the table as prices rise.
“It’s a mixture of people. They might be addicts, people under severe pressure, people with mortgage problems, or rent problems. Everyday stuff.
“It’s going to get worse. The price of food, electricity, oil, diesel, petrol. People are not going to have enough to live on. They’ll either pay their bills if they can, and that’s only if. Or, they’ll put food on the table. That’s the choice.”
Anne Curtin, also a volunteer at the soup kitchen, says that councillors are “not living in reality” as they are unaware of the struggles being faced by residents in their communities.
She told Tipp Today that the hardships have resulted in people from other towns in Tipp coming as far as Clonmel to get food from their kitchen.
Anne added that people who are struggling now may face harder choices this coming winter.
“I can’t be listening to them [councillors] anymore. They’re not living in reality. They don’t know what’s going on in the Irish communities.
“They [people] have two choices coming into the winter, and that is to feed themselves or keep themselves warm. This will be detrimental to families and old people.”
