Sleep out raises €12,000 for Dundalk Simon

Dundalk Simon Community have hailed the people of Dundalk for the fantastic €12,000 donated to their annual sleep out fundraiser, bringing the total since the appeal began ten years ago to €140,000.

The appeal was started ten years ago by local Greenacres couple Maeve and Terry Curtis, who encouraged people to swap their beds for a sleeping bag for one night of the year.

Sadly, Terry passed away in September last year but Maeve was determined to continue with the yearly fundraiser, alongside some hardy volunteers, in his memory.

“I’m amazed at the amount to tell you the truth. The kindness of people is unreal, especially now that we’re all counting the pennies with the cost of living so high,” Maeve told the Democrat.

“It was quiet the night we did it, but we had QR codes on the buckets, which made a big difference for us because people were able to use their phones.

“People are so generous and will still find a way to help people who are worse off than themselves.”

Maeve would have been forgiven for taking a break this year, but she says it was something she felt she needed to do.

“It was great to do it in Terry’s memory this year, because himself and myself were the instigators of it and it’s a great tribute to him.

“Each year people just seem to give more and more and it’s brilliant because it’ll help with the drop-in centre which gives people somewhere to go during the day.

“Most homeless have to be out at a certain time in the morning and they can only go back at a certain time at night.

“Other than walking the streets, there’s nowhere for them to go, so that drop-in centre is a Godsend.

“They can have a cup of coffee and meetup and chat and it keeps them off the streets in the cold weather and makes them feel more human.

“They’re the same as the rest of us. They just haven’t got somewhere to go and sometimes we have a tendency to not think about that.

“We think once they have a bed and somewhere to sleep, that’s it, but it’s a lot more than that. That’s why the drop-in centre is so important.

“I want to thank everybody that donated and every business that supported us over the years, especially this year when people are at the pin of their collar.”

Thanking everybody who donated and helped organise the event Yvonne Carr of Dundalk Simon outlined just how vital the money raised is to the service, especially in the context of rising heat and electricity prices.

“Between the shop and fundraisers like the sleep out, only for them that’s what keeps us going. The government money doesn’t match what we pay out.

“The bills are coming in now and they’re just colossal.

“We’re trying to cut back, but you still have to keep the heat on. We budgeted for a bit of an increase but not 150%.

“That’s what we’re up to on this time last year. We did a comparison with all the bills and it’s just through the roof.

“We’re flat out. There’s not a free bed in the place. We were flat to the mat all over Christmas.

“The bills are just taking us to our knees and we didn’t get any increase in state funding.

“If we have thirty people down there, there’s other things too, shower gels and toiletries, you have to feed thirty people 24/7, even the shopping has gone through the roof, but the light and heat is the major killer on us.

“Christmas is our big time for fundraising and what we got there from November and December we have to stretch out until next year.

“We had the busking fundraiser on Earl Street on the 23rd with it lashing. They were great; they had over €2,000 into us as well.”

Yvonne also paid special tribute to Maeve and Terry’s efforts over the years.

“Maeve is going to clear over €12k, overall Maeve and Terry have raised over 140k for us. It’s unheard of. They’re brilliant.

“Hail rain or snow, they were both out in it and Maeve still did it this year.

“It’s only for the grace of God we have people like Maeve Curtis and her colleagues Rose and Kay.

“They’re brilliant people and we’re just blessed to have them with us.”

The Simon Community accepts donations all year round and donations can be made on the Simon Community website, or simply by ringing Dundalk Simon on 042 933 9583.