CORE Ireland’s Nourish Project is a vital service for families experiencing relative and consistent poverty. In Ireland, relative poverty is defined as having an income below 60% of the median income, while consistent poverty involves having an income below 60% of the median and experiencing enforced deprivation. This means that families on a low-income struggle to afford basic necessities such as new clothes, food such as meat or fish, heating their homes, and paying household bills.
The Nourish Project is a valuable service that provides much-needed support to families who are struggling to cope with the financial demands of daily living. For many families, the cost of food is one of the biggest challenges they face, and the Nourish Project seeks to alleviate some of this burden by providing food packages on a regular basis, or as a one-off delivery.
The Nourish Project
One of the unique aspects of the Nourish Project is that there are no strict criteria that must be met in order to access this service. Families who are in need of support can simply reach out to the volunteers involved with the project and request assistance. This means that families who may not qualify for other forms of assistance can still receive help through the Nourish Project.
The Nourish Project operates under a strict policy of confidentiality. All conversations between the recipient and the volunteer are kept strictly confidential, and the privacy of the families involved is respected at all times. This approach ensures that families can access the support they need without fear of judgement or stigma.
The aim of the Nourish Project is to support families who are struggling to make ends meet, particularly those who may be going without basic necessities due to financial constraints. The project recognises that for many families, financial hardship is a temporary situation that can be alleviated with the right support. By providing regular food packages, the Nourish Project aims to ease the burden on families and help them regain their financial footing.
How Can I Contribute?
Individuals
Individuals who would like to donate non-perishable food items or toiletries can do so by contacting a member of the CORE Ireland team to arrange collection.
Schools
The Nourish Project provides an opportunity for schools to actively participate in the fight against hunger and poverty within their communities. By appointing a project team to oversee the promotion of the Nourish Project within the school, students are given the opportunity to understand the struggles of those in their community who may be going without basic necessities due to financial constraints.
On a designated day each month, students are asked to bring in one non-perishable food item from their kitchen cupboard. This could include items such as canned goods, pasta, rice, and other non-perishable items. The food items will then be collected by a CORE Ireland volunteer for distribution in Navan.
What’s more, this initiative generates family awareness about the fact that 15% of students go to school hungry every day. By participating in the Nourish Project, schools can help raise awareness about the issue of food poverty and inspire students to take action to help those in need.
Businesses
Groups or businesses can also adopt this project within their organisation as part of their social responsibility ethos. CORE Ireland has developed a program called the Joy of Giving, where non-perishable food items can be deposited in a box on the premises, and CORE Ireland can arrange collection and distribution of the items in the Meath area. Members of the program or staff, in general, are asked to bring one item on a given day each month to be placed in the box that will be collected by a CORE Ireland volunteer. CORE Ireland will acknowledge all Nourish Project partners in our monthly published newsletter.
The Nourish Project is an essential service for families in need and provides vital support to those experiencing relative or consistent poverty. The project relies on the generosity of individuals, schools, and groups/businesses to donate non-perishable food items or toiletries, which are then distributed to families in need. By getting involved with the Nourish Project, individuals and organisations can make a positive impact on their community and help to support those who are struggling to make ends meet.
