Community Connect awards funding to The Good Shepherd Centre

Written by St. Canice's Credit Union
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Community Connect 2022 funding

As well as contributing to the financial health of our members through savings and loans. St. Canice’s Credit Union is also involved in a huge range of community organisations and events.

The Good Shepherd Centre

As a not-for-profit organisation we give back to local community groups. Our Community Connect Fund is in place to help fund significant projects within our common bond that will add long-term benefit to the local community. We were delighted to be able to award €10,000 to the Good Shepherd Centre.

In Kilkenny and its environs, The Good Shepherd Centre works with homeless men, women, families, and those at risk of becoming homeless. They offer emergency accommodation, transitional housing, and resettlement services to return people to sustained independent living.

We were happy to be able to award them €10,000 to fund this project. Currently, the Good Sheppard Centre has a working commercial kitchen catering for all its residents of the hostel and some in transitional on-campus housing. That means  30 plus people per day, 3 meals a day, 365 days a year. This kitchen is dated and is not an efficient way of cooking for these numbers. It has an impact on the environment by using appliances that are not rated environmentally. Some of these appliances are over 30 years old.

Although they comply with HCCAP guidelines, the future guidelines being rolled out will impact their current kitchen, wall and floor coverings. The appliances will be outdated and non-compliant in the near future.

With a view to future challenges, they are also trying to manage their available resources more sustainably; paradoxically they are trying to reduce food waste when many are going hungry. Their aims are to roll out a project to elevate food poverty by increasing their capacity to accept, store or process fresh, surplus food.

We look forward to seeing the end results. If you have any more queries on Community Connect you can visit our website here

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