700 queue for food parcels...in Dublin

gurramok

http://examiner.ie/ireland/ididmhcwid/

A HUMAN river of despair and hunger flowed to the gates of the Capuchin Friary.

In scenes reminiscent of a failed state, more than 700 people queued from early morning amid fears they would miss the free food parcels to be distributed — and they were right to worry as demand overwhelmed the friars and basic items like bread, tea, sugar and canned foods all ran out.

The speed and brutality with which the economic crisis is searing through Irish society was clear from the faces of young people and parents amidst the hundreds of people snaking along Dublin’s Church Street, their grim reality mocked by the unseasonal sunshine.

Brother Kevin Crowley expressed deep sadness at the desperation unfolding before him, but, with the numbers of those in need doubling so quickly, the day centre could no longer cope with demand.

The friary is a lifeline for people who would once have looked upon it only as a destination for the homeless and truly destitute.

Struggling families, youngsters and ex-professionals reeling from the suddenness of their fall from financial security made up a large swathe of the crowd, Br Crowley said. "I was talking to one young man who felt terrible he had to come here for food, but he was hungry and had no choice."

This is not an isolated sight, merely a snapshot of the human cost of a crisis which is being repeated across Ireland.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen has warned of five more years of pain, with living standards diving by 10% and, for the first time in the history of the state, the next generation doing worse than the present one. That pain is already hurting hard as the Live Register reached a grim new all-time high of 372,800 people in March.

Mr Cowen mumbled his way through the latest figures in the Dáil, as if he could not bear to raise his voice to make it audible. And who would want to preside over such a shameful national waste of lives and talent?

More than 80,000 people have swelled the dole queues in just three months — a 90% rise in one year — and Mr Cowen knows it’s only going to get worse as he admits the register will top 450,000 by year’s end. If he is willing publicly to acknowledge that, then there must be fear the reality could be much worse. Mr Cowen must see restricted cabinet papers warning of the social consequences of 500,000 or even 600,000 on the dole — it’s going to be a long, cold, bitter recession.

There was no comfort to be drawn from the fact that the increase in those joining the welfare rolls had slowed from 1,000 a day to 500 a day during March. Gallows humour would suggest the drop is merely due to the fact the country now feels like it is simply running out of any jobs left to cut.

Br Crowley wonders how he will feed the masses that flood into the day centre — those seeking free meals have doubled to 430 a day — on donations of e1m a year. Nearly half of that total, e450,000, comes from a government grant, but with welfare payments in the firing line of next week’s crisis budget, as well as everything else, who knows what the future holds?

"It used to be the homeless, but now it’s those who have just lost their jobs, young people and families coming to us — and that’s worrying," Br Crowley added.

The friary ran out of food parcels for the first time yesterday and was forced to leave some people empty-handed. However, that will not stop the tide of misery continuing to sweep along Church Street to its doors.

Awful for those people to rely on food handouts to survive

SEPT 23 1989

horrible to see this and those lines will only get bigger

Goduznt Xzst

gurramok wrote: »

Awful for those people to rely on food handouts to survive

awful, truly awful...

*goes back to apathetically thinking about what pub I'm going to blow half my wage packet on to pointlessly drink copious amounts of alcohol*

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

junior_apollo

how many of those people actually needed to be there?... Because im sure you'll find that there would have been the usual crowds who are just takers who did not see that there was people who actually needed help and support.. and instead with their own greed for free stuff took parcels.

6th

What sort of stuff do they get?

WindSock

This is the only charity I donate to. I think they do a fantastic job with feeding and cleaning the poor & homeless. €1 = 1 meal. It makes it slightly easier to walk past beggers when I have donated to this place.

http://www.homeless.ie/Capuchin_Day_Centre/Who_we_are.html

PCPhoto

I passed by there (2-3times) and at most there was about 300 people..... normally its about 50-70people ...but in recent weeks its increased significantly.

the queue didnt go as far as church street....not a chance.

ejmaztec

Would I be correct in assuming that the food parcels come from charitable donations - and not the self-destructive government?

WindSock

junior_apollo wrote: »

how many of those people actually needed to be there?...

I doubt many people would love queing with 700 mainly mentally ill and drug addicted folk to get some 'free nosh'

Guy:Incognito

junior_apollo wrote: »

how many of those people actually needed to be there?... Because im sure you'll find that there would have been the usual crowds who are just takers who did not see that there was people who actually needed help and support.. and instead with their own greed for free stuff took parcels.

About 2 years ago I was working on Nicholas avenue for a couple of months and watched each time this place opened. There were loads of people wandering up with their bags of shopping an queing for the free food. These people were normal folk (quite a few eastern europeans for soem reason , some in work clothes) , clean, laughing and joking with each other and certainly not starvign.

bullpost

I'd never do it for fear they'd give me the pigs head - like on Angelas Ashes

On a more serious note - However authentic the people in the queue are, its still an indication of how bad things are getting - particularily for those on the bottom rungs of society. I'd imagine queunig for a food parcel would be hard for most people to do.

ScumLord

I would have just gone to McDonalds if I'd known so many beggars would be there. It's just so hard to pass up free stuff.

Degsy

While its absolutely sickening that anybody should have to rely on handouts in this day and age,there are some people who've been on handouts forever.
There are also people so greedy that they'll turn up at something like this to scab freebies that could've been better given to somebody else.

PCPhoto

I agree with Stekelly .... theres a lot of people in the queues that dont look like they are starving - more like they hear theres free food available and go there.

There is a lot of foreign eastern european types - but you'll also have to accept that these are the people that were doing the "lower end" jobs and have been made redundant first.

"lower end" = jobs that some Irish people during the boom didnt want to do (ie. house cleaning, hotel staff, fast food staff, etc etc) ..... there wasnt a whole lot of depression amongst them - smiling/laughing - general conversation amongst each other and swapping items after they got their food parcels.

Mark200

I think it's shocking that our Government are still sending 100's of millions overseas to feed poor people there, when there's quite clearly poor people here that aren't getting fed. I'm all for charity in any form, but you should be helping the people closer to home first.

Guy:Incognito

Mark200 wrote: »

I think it's shocking that our Government are still sending 100's of millions overseas to feed poor people there, when there's quite clearly poor people here that aren't getting fed. I'm all for charity in any form, but you should be helping the people closer to home first.

This was done on the politics forum a week or so ago. The consensus appears to be that people in Africa are more deserving apparently and that aids doesnt exist here, let alone starvation .

Mr.Lizard

Mark200 wrote: »

I think it's shocking that our Government are still sending 100's of millions overseas to feed poor people there, when there's quite clearly poor people here that aren't getting fed. I'm all for charity in any form, but you should be helping the people closer to home first.

It's just politics. You have to be seen to be caring about the Third World, even if you don't.

Gone Drinking

I went for the laugh, usual stuff, bread and canned soup.

It was all non-branded stuff though, so i threw it in the bin on the way home and got a curry instead.

Noopti

90% of those people probably came from the Bargain Alerts forum

c4cat

WindSock wrote: »

This is the only charity I donate to. I think they do a fantastic job with feeding and cleaning the poor & homeless. €1 = 1 meal. It makes it slightly easier to walk past beggers when I have donated to this place.

http://www.homeless.ie/Capuchin_Day_Centre/Who_we_are.html

Just made a small donation via paypal on their site,

0ubliette

I work pretty much next door to the place. When im getting a coffee in the morning i see the lines queing up. At first i didnt know what was going on when i saw so many people, then i heard a radio interview with them the other week when it was 300 people reported in the queue, now this week its 500 in the queue. (i know the thread says 700 but the newspaper i saw this morning said 500, so obviously theres some exaggeration going on).
Its a sorry sight to see thats for sure, and shame on anyone in that queue who isnt either homeless or genuinely out of food and money

Guy:Incognito

c4cat wrote: »

Just made a small donation via paypal on their site,

Doesnt count cos you went public looking for praise. Off you go and do it again anonymously.

Mr.Lizard

Stekelly wrote: »

Doesnt count cos you went public looking for praise. Off you go and do it again anonymously.

Exactly. You're polluting the enviornment with donations like that! :mad:

The_Minister

Stekelly wrote: »

About 2 years ago I was working on Nicholas avenue for a couple of months and watched each time this place opened. There were loads of people wandering up with their bags of shopping an queing for the free food. These people were normal folk (quite a few eastern europeans for soem reason , some in work clothes) , clean, laughing and joking with each other and certainly not starvign.

That's the idea.

Guy:Incognito

The_Minister wrote: »

That's the idea.

Collecting free food while carrying bags of shopping will lend itself to not starving alright.

ShooterSF

junior_apollo wrote: »

how many of those people actually needed to be there?... Because im sure you'll find that there would have been the usual crowds who are just takers who did not see that there was people who actually needed help and support.. and instead with their own greed for free stuff took parcels.

Did you not see the thread that someone dies EVERY second of starvation. People risked their lives standing the queue.

On a serious note it is nice to see a charitable organisation doing something for it's people.
If even half of our foreign aid gestures where instead offered to any volunteer group for food and shelter to help our less fortunate this country would be a much better place.
(Note to self - being too serious on AH these days)

Blazer

Noopti wrote: »

90% of those people probably came from the Bargain Alerts forum

I have to say ...this is already a contender if not winner of "post of the year"..
make sure to sticky it

WindSock

c4cat wrote: »

Just made a small donation via paypal on their site,

Good on you. It's well worth it when can you see where the money is going to.

Stekelly wrote: »

Collecting free food while carrying bags of shopping will lend itself to not starving alright.

No one should ever go hungry in this country (again). Places like this are doing a great job to make sure of that. They may have bags of shopping but you don't know the circumstances that would have them queuing for a food pack aswell.

cowpat

Dear god, sounds like Russia in the 90's...

SheroN

I wonder how many of the 700 are smokers/drinkers......

BrookieD

SheroN wrote: »

I wonder how many of the 700 are smokers/drinkers......

Sorry whats your point?????

Highsider

WindSock wrote: »

This is the only charity I donate to. I think they do a fantastic job with feeding and cleaning the poor & homeless. €1 = 1 meal. It makes it slightly easier to walk past beggers when I have donated to this place.

http://www.homeless.ie/Capuchin_Day_Centre/Who_we_are.html

Excellent link. Just donated a small fee myself and hope other's on here will follow the link and do likewise.

SheroN

BrookieD wrote: »

Sorry whats your point?????

My point is that I would imagine a certain percentage of the 700 who turned up for free food are also on all sorts of social welfare payments from the govenment. But they spent those payments on fags, booze and shiny things. Thus leaving no money for food.

Highsider

SheroN wrote: »

I wonder how many of the 700 are smokers/drinkers......

Right over my head with that one Wrong thread maybe?

Highsider

SheroN wrote: »

My point is that I would imagine a certain percentage of the 700 who turned up for free food are also on all sorts of social welfare payments from the govenment. But they spent those payments on fags, booze and shiny things. Thus leaving no money for food.

Oh sweet jesus...stereotype much do ya. Have you actually seen the line for food parcels or this is an informed guess?

SheroN

Highsider wrote: »

Oh sweet jesus...stereotype much do ya. Have you actually seen the line for food parcels or this is an informed guess?

It's a guess. Have you seen the queue for food to say otherwise?

Highsider

SheroN wrote: »

It's a guess. Have you seen the queue for food to say otherwise?

No. But i'm not guessing they are all drinkers and smokers either. What's next all single mum's are spongers?

SheroN

Highsider wrote: »

No. But i'm not guessing they are all drinkers and smokers either. What's next all single mum's are spongers?

I never said they all were. I said a certain percentage. But it's my opinion that there's a certain number of people in the 700 who were there because they hadn't managed the money they received from the social welfare in a responsible manner. Do you disagree with this?

ejmaztec

Highsider wrote: »

Oh sweet jesus...stereotype much do ya. Have you actually seen the line for food parcels or this is an informed guess?

I expect a neighbour of mine is at the head of the queue with a shopping trolley, because the lazy, dole-fiddling bastard can never miss out on the opportunity of a freebie, no matter what they're giving away. If it was dog-sh1t in batter, he'd be there!

SheroN

ejmaztec wrote: »

I expect a neighbour of mine is at the head of the queue with a shopping trolley, because the lazy, dole-fiddling bastard can never miss out on the opportunity of a freebie, no matter what they're giving away. If it was dog-sh1t in batter, he'd be there!

I know the type. Why spend the dole money on food when you can get it for free. Dole is for fags and booze.

That's not to say the majority of people there weren't genuine cases.

ShooterSF

SheroN wrote: »

I know the type. Why spend the dole money on food when you can get it for free. Dole is for fags and booze.

That's not to say the majority of people there weren't genuine cases.

Corruption and advantage taking is always going to happen but it doesnt mean a few bad apples should damage the good work people are doing for the real unfortunates.

My name is URL

Wow there's a lot of resentment towards people on the Dole from members here. I had to sign on last week for the first time in my life and I feel shamed to admit that here after reading the obnoxious generalized comments that some of you make. Would you prefer people not sign on and maybe top themselves instead? Which isn't as big of an exaggeration as you'd think. Suicide cases have already increased dramatically since the recession began, and bankers only make up a small percentage of it... =p

ronbyrne2005

Let them eat cake.

Highsider

Upward Spiral wrote: »

Wow there's a lot of resentment towards people on the Dole from members here. I had to sign on last week for the first time in my life and I feel shamed to admit that here after reading the obnoxious generalized comments that some of you make. Would you prefer people not sign on and maybe top themselves instead? Which isn't as big of an exaggeration as you'd think. Suicide cases have already increased dramatically since the recession began, and bankers only make up a small percentage of it... =p

Yeah but you must smoke and drink. That mean syou are undeserving of any money according to some people :rolleyes: Hope you find a job soon.

SheroN

Upward Spiral wrote: »

Wow there's a lot of resentment towards people on the Dole from members here. I had to sign on last week for the first time in my life and I feel shamed to admit that here after reading the obnoxious generalized comments that some of you make. Would you prefer people not sign on and maybe top themselves instead? Which isn't as big of an exaggeration as you'd think. Suicide cases have already increased dramatically since the recession began, and bankers only make up a small percentage of it... =p

Have no problem with people signing on the dole if they need to. I had to do it myself a few years ago for a few months.

I do however have a problem with people signing on the dole and then apparently having money to drink it up. Having lived in the Liberties for the past 6 years you see quite a few of these characters floating around.

SheroN

Highsider wrote: »

Yeah but you must smoke and drink. That mean syou are undeserving of any money according to some people :rolleyes: Hope you find a job soon.

Way to pick me up incorrectly.

Heineken Helen

SheroN wrote: »

I know the type. Why spend the dole money on food when you can get it for free. Dole is for fags and booze.

That's not to say the majority of people there weren't genuine cases.

so why say anything at all? :cool:

It's horrible to hear about this... I'm not in much of a position to donate at the mo unfortunately... being that I too am unemployed for the first time in my life as many are.

I'm living in England so I only get £60 a week... after covering rent, food, bills, etc. how much of that do you reckon is left for fags and booze? :rolleyes: Not that the Irish dole is much better... considering it's WAY cheaper to live here. I CAN make do on the £60 a week and hope I won't have to be hitting any of those queues anytime soon... but ya just never know. Kick em when they're down why don't ya?

Heineken Helen

SheroN wrote: »

Have no problem with people signing on the dole if they need to. I had to do it myself a few years ago for a few months.

I do however have a problem with people signing on the dole and then apparently having money to drink it up. Having lived in the Liberties for the past 6 years you see quite a few of these characters floating around.

While there are undoubtedly SOME who manage to have money left over for drink and fags and still avail of the free stuff... do NOT tar us all with the one brush... were you one of those people? The way you're talking, you'd swear you were never unemployed. Even BEFORE I lost my job, I never judged anyone on one small group of seemingly rich poor people... we're all individuals ya know. And you've really picked a wrong time to go on about spongers... considering the amount of people who've been working their whole lives and now find themselves in an unfamiliar situation and are using every spare second and spare penny to try and get themselves out of that situation.

the_dark_side

this may seem slightly out of context.. a plumber I know was given the contract of fitting out 2 prefabs with a high end air conditioning system and the whole plumbing works, at a well known regional hospital (which I feel as if I cant name). 2 weeks later the prefabs were demolished on order of a site foreman.. resulting in the destruction of all the contents, including the plumbing... the reson being that the hospital had grant money that needed to be spent before a deadline, or they wouldnt qualify for the next year's grant.
A small example of how government money was recklessly SQUANDERED during the boom, now we have people queuing for food on the streets of our capital, and the friary relying on charity to keep running

Capt'n Midnight

Mark200 wrote: »

I think it's shocking that our Government are still sending 100's of millions overseas to feed poor people there, when there's quite clearly poor people here that aren't getting fed. I'm all for charity in any form, but you should be helping the people closer to home first.

We have already cut back overseas aid, despite government commitments to raise it.

Overall the west makes far money on interest payments on loans, and selling patented technologies and medicines than they give back. This is the whole Trade not Aid debate.

On the Trade not Aid debate, it would be interesting, as a thought experiment, to see how many people in that queue would work for their food, not to earn it but so they wouldn't feel they were taking charity. Bearing in mind that a meal is €1 and the minimum wage, we are talking an hour a week rather than workfare.

But yeah there are a lot of people who the celtic tiger hasn't helped.