Trinity VDP launches biggest Christmas appeal yet

This year the society is reaching out to clubs, societies and class representatives for help

NEWSTrinity’s St Vincent de Paul society has launched its largest annual Christmas Appeal to date.

This year they are expanding the annual Christmas collection drive by seeking club and society involvement and calling on Trinity College Dublin’s Students’ Union (TCDSU) class representatives to get their courses involved.

The collection starts on campus on Monday and will continue for the last two weeks of term.

Eamonn Redmond, volunteer liaison officer with Trinity VDP, spoke to Trinity News about the hopes of the society for this year’s appeal: “All at Trinity VDP are hoping to make sure that everyone is aware that this opportunity to make a difference is sitting right on their doorstep.”

Students “can often be found campaigning for the ideals of dignity and respect… for every citizen of Ireland,” however, they often struggle “to find practical ways in which to put this thirst for social justice into action,” he said. The VDP Christmas Appeal is a “tangible way” to do this, he continued.

Redmond described the effect that the can appeal have: “By donating something small, students can have a very real impact on the lives of those that are vulnerable in this society. Because that small present makes that little child feel more special than you could know, and that bag of pasta ensures that parents have enough so no one has to go hungry this Christmas period, and those gloves keep the hands of the homeless warm who will have no roof over their heads on Christmas Eve.”

Trinity VDP are collecting presents for children between the ages of eight and 12, non-perishable food, and hats, scarves and gloves for the city’s homeless.