Athlone woman seeks volunteers to establish local food bank

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Athlone native Lisa Malone is appealing for volunteers as she works to establish Athlone’s first food bank.

With a history of community work through the annual St Kieran’s Christmas Dinner, and previously with a 2022 pop-up soup kitchen project, Lisa has long been driven by a passion for helping those in need.

Now, she hopes to launch the town’s first community-led food bank in the new year.

“There is a huge amount of poverty out there. Everything’s gone up except for people’s finances. People across the board seem to be struggling a little bit more this year,” she said, explaining her motivation.

“It’s sad that this service is needed. It’s about humanity. Everyone has something going on in their life, and we all need a hand at different times.”

Currently at the very early stages, Lisa hopes to host a public meeting in January to gather ideas on how the pantry should run and how to source non-perishable food items.

“I will call a meeting in January and try to get as many people involved and make it a community-led idea,” she said.

“We tried a soup kitchen before, but this is different. The idea is to have it more like community lending or swapping.

“Sometimes it’s very hard to ask for help, but if it’s a community event, people won’t feel as embarrassed, and they’ll feel more relaxed about coming to the food bank.

“I thought it’d be lovely, even if it’s only once a week, to have non-perishable food available so people could take something away to cook a dinner for their children.”

For the last three years, Lisa and a group of local volunteers have been running a Christmas dinner event in Athlone’s St Kieran’s Community Centre.

She began the event as a way to give back to the community after her son Conor was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a debilitating condition affecting the body’s connective tissues and causing chronic pain, fatigue and joint instability.

“I received a lot of support from the local community during that time,” Lisa explained.

This year’s community Christmas dinner will run from 12pm to 2pm and is open to those living alone or in need of a hot meal.

“I’ve been blessed to have the same group come down and help every year.

“We contact ALONE and Meals on Wheels to see if anyone in their organisations might be interested, and we also do home deliveries for those who can’t make it to the centre.

“The dinners are provided by the Creggan Court Hotel, so anyone interested can get in touch with us and we’ll have a meal ready for them.”

Lisa extended her thanks to the staff at St Kieran's Community Centre, and the Creggan Court for their support, as well as the team of volunteers who work along side her to make the event a success.

For updates on the St Kieran’s Christmas Dinner or the Athlone Food Bank project, keep an eye on Athlone At Its Best on Facebook.