After months of effort and planning, on Monday morning 6th Jan, two forty foot containers packed with aid were delivered to Tivoli port in Cork. Four days later they started their four-week journey, bound for Cebu in the Philippines. The aid will then be distributed by the Focolare people among those whose lives have been reduced to nothing by the impact of a natural disaster which displaced twice the number of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami or the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
“It was beyond belief,” Audrey recalls of watching the images of devastation in November. “Like everyone else I wanted to do something. I made a phone call to the Focolare people and they said they’d be delighted to accept a container. Mam and myself were sitting down and we said who else can we contact: it just started from there.”
The Deise Philippine Appeal was born: it soon mushroomed into something very special.
“As one person said yes, you had the courage to go on and ask someone else to do something. And people didn’t hesitate. It just gave everyone the opportunity to give and give they did. They went beyond the call of duty.
“They gave stuff that I am sure they were holding on to pass on to their own families. Everyone emptied their hearts and homes. It was amazing.”
On 6th January one 40ft container, filled to capacity, and 20ft of a second container were loaded with donated supplies. This included 5,000 bed-sheets, linen, towels and duvets donated by Celtic Linen. Beside them were palette loads of medical supplies, hand sanitizers and baby bottles donated by companies like Pinewood.
Audrey also says they received a remarkable amount of food and clothes. Monetary donations were used to buy torches, batteries and lights.
Workplaces came on board too, some to donate their Kris Kindle funds. A young girl called Megan raised funds by not watching any television for 24 hours: the sponsorship raised going to the appeal.
“There were small acts of kindness to large acts of kindness: everyone gave to their own capacity,” Audrey said.
One of the first to come on board was John Tynan of the Enterprise Bar who raised €700 through a raffle. Baumann’s Jewelers donated earnings from the replacement of batteries in watches.
Audrey explains: “People just forgot about their own cares or worries and put everything into this appeal to make it work.”
The heavy work of loading the aid onto the containers at Dungarvan Business Park and Duckspool, Abbeyside was carried out by Dungarvan Men’s Shed with the assistance of students from Dungarvan CBS and St Augustine’s College. Both secondary schools gave their time and support at short notice, thanks to the assistance of Johnny Hughes of the CBS and Ailbhe Ní Neachtain, Principal, St Augustine’s College.
“The Men’s Shed were just fantastic: they supported me from day one,” Audrey says. She also thanked Town Clerk Joe O’Flaherty and the Council staff “who went from Kinsalebeg to Kilmacthomas” to collect items, and all the volunteers who packed and re-arranged the aid, and in particular Pat Murray who gave up so much of her time.
Audrey added: “Everyone’s generosity, no matter how big or small, made this appeal a huge success. The community spirit among the people of the Deise…has just bowled me over and completely overwhelmed me. “It really is true what people say: what seems impossible can be done.”
courtesy Kevin Kirrane, Dungarvan Leader.
