Your SVP Supporter Newsletter | Autumn 2026
Bringing you closer to the real-life stories of people your donations help every day.
Your kindness keeps communities together. Caroline Thomas is the Manager of Ozanam House, our assisted living service in Bundoran, where your support helps older people keep their independence in a safe and homely environment. Our model sits between independent living and nursing care. It’s a warm and friendly home, where our residents can feel safe and supported, and maintain their independence for as long as possible. We have musicians, Irish dancing, favourite song afternoons, film screenings
Inside this issue:
and games. A favourite activity involves sharing old family photographs and the memories behind them. It sparks wonderful conversations and helps residents reconnect with important moments from their lives.” …continued overleaf
Your support for older communities
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A family affair at Newbridge Day Care
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How you help inspire young volunteers
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You help open doors to SVP homes
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Welcome to your Newsletter. “ Welcome to another newsletter celebrating your incredible support for The Society and how you help change people’s lives. This Autumn we’re highlighting the different ways you help support older people experiencing hardship. From practical supports, such as Meals on Wheels, respite care and assisted living, to community Day Care which plays such a vital role in combatting loneliness and isolation. Your kindness helps so many older people stay active in their communities for longer. So, please enjoy reading about the huge difference your kindness makes, especially for those feeling vulnerable in later life. Thank you so much.”
Teresa Ryan, National President, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Your lasting kindness. If you’ve made a gift in your Will to SVP, you’ve joined a tradition that goes back further than you may think.
1887 T he Reverend Thomas Lynch made the first gift in Will to The Society.
ellington Darley made a trust gift 1920 W
in his Will that was still working one hundred years later.
1948 Gifts in Wills were now common
with the people of Dublin donating £31,138 in bequests.
1998 M aureen O’Connell made a gift of
more than £7m to SVP in her Will.
2025 L ifelong SVP volunteer, Breda, made a kind gift in her Will supporting education for future generations.
If you would like to find out more about making a gift in your Will, contact one of our friendly team on 01 884 8226 or visit svp.ie/ways-to-donate/
“ What counts in the end, plainly, is not only the quality of the service to the person in need, but the personal and self-giving component of that service.” - Frédérick Ozanam, founder of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
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The kindness you make possible.
This centre really is a huge part of our community.
For Kathleen, Manager of Newbridge Day Care Centre, providing SVP support and services to her community, is deeply personal.
My granddad was a client here in 1991, when the centre first opened. He ran a shop on the main street, so everyone knew him, and even today, people come in to use the service and say, ‘I knew your grandad.’ We have about 20 clients each day and everyone receives a traditional Irish dinner and a dessert. And we provide up to 60 meals a day to the community through our Meals on Wheels. Today we’re having a beauty morning, and we’ll have some local singers in later who are brilliant at getting everyone up and dancing. Our clients really love that. People come in looking for help too, like the man whose phone provider was overcharging him. It means making phone calls, sorting problems, which helps us build a really strong social network in the community. The support we get from local people is amazing. They do fundraising events, and young students come in to do little projects with the clients. The energy they bring and the relationships they build are just fantastic. We support people with dementia as well, like my Grandad. SVP helped him stay active in the community for as long as he did. That motivates me a lot, because there are so many others who need the same support, and now I’m here to help provide that.”
Kathleen
Comfort and friendship at Newbridge Day Centre.
“ I’m always flabbergasted that so many amazing people give up their time to volunteer and help run services like this.” - Kathleen 3
Young volunteers you help inspire.
When Darragh asked if he could do a school project with us, we had no idea what an amazing job he would do. “ As part of the Dermot Earley Leadership Programme, I volunteered to plant a flower bed for our local SVP Centre in Newbridge. They were really supportive, and after I decided on the best place for the flower bed, I bought 24 plants from local garden centres.
“ I look forward to visiting the flower bed again and helping to maintain it.” I planned the layout, and my dad and my brother helped plant the flowers. We came back later to water the plants again and make sure they were settling in well. The people in the centre said it brightens up the area and makes it more welcoming, which meant a lot to me. It was a brilliant experience, and I’m really grateful to The SVP for their support.”
Darragh
How you open doors to SVP homes.
We believe that homes should be sanctuaries for those who need them most, a vision that has driven us to provide more than 860 units of social housing. And with your support, we’re determined to deliver even more affordable homes to people who need them.
Security & Well-being Your support is vital in giving our tenants the support they need. Helping them feel safe and secure and increasing their ability to sustain their tenancies, as well as building a real sense of community. We don’t just provide homes. We build communities.
“ My aim was to make something that could be enjoyed long after the project was completed.” - Darragh, SVP volunteer 4
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The strong connections you nurture.
Our links with local churches are also very important. It’s a small community here, and most residents already know each other. Connections run deep, and we get great local support through fundraising, donations and volunteering. And we don’t just provide residential care. Our Meals on Wheels service reaches out into the community, helping people remain in their own homes for longer. We deliver good healthy meals to around 120 people. They may be struggling to cook for themselves, returning home after a stay in hospital, or living with dementia. Simply delivering a regular meal can help prevent the need for long-term residential care.
How you help support a whole community It’s about helping people through loneliness and isolation too, and it often feels like we’re supporting an entire community. Without our services and the donors who support them, many people would have to move into long-term care much sooner than necessary. I have a personal connection here too, as my father was involved with St Vincent de Paul and supported this centre many years ago. I feel incredibly privileged to work here as I’ve never felt the kind of job satisfaction that I do now.”
Caroline
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Small acts of care can make all the difference.” 5
Back-to-School with a smile, thanks to you! Our recent Back-to-school Appeal was a huge success, helping parents and children in your community cope with the costly demands of the new school year. Your kindness has made a real difference this Autumn. Thank you!
The impact of your kindness. We received some lovely ‘thank you’ cards from parents you helped with Back to School costs this Autumn. So, we wanted to share some with you.
Thank you.
s Monthly Donor EGUL AR OUR LOYAL R GIVERS today changing lives and ever yday
RCN 20013806
Making your kindness monthly If you are one of our wonderful monthly donors, thank you so much for your loyal support. If you haven’t yet, would you be interested in making a powerful regular gift to help even more people get the lasting support they need? It’s so easy to do. Just fill in the form that came with this newsletter or go online to svp.ie/donate. Thank you for helping to change people’s lives.