Retired garda and Avondhu sports columnist Paddy Ryan, who was a garda at Shannon Airport, Cashel and in Clogheen, is part of a volunteer group of around 40 people in Mitchelstown, who are calling on as many people as possible to support the Concern Fast this year.
CONCERN Worldwide is urging Avondhu readers to give up a habit or activity they normally do for 24-hours for the annual Fast campaign to raise vital funds for children dying from hunger. Social media, television and video games are among the many things that people can forgo for a day as part of what is now one of Ireland’s longest running fundraising campaigns.
Paddy (67) said: “We are doing collections outside shops in Mitchelstown on Friday, November 11 and we will be doing church gate collections in December. There are also other volunteers with other groups in Mallow, Midleton and other parts of Cork and around the country doing their own collections and we would urge everyone to support Concern and the Fast campaign”.
Traditionally, Concern Fast focused on giving up food, but it can now include any activity or habit, such as drinking coffee, smoking, driving, using smart phones or vocalised pauses (the fillers people use in sentences when they talk, such as ‘um’, ‘ah’ and ‘like’.
Concern Worldwide’s Director of Public Affairs, Richard Dixon, said: “I have seen first-hand the incredible positive impact that our work has had on children and their families and we would not be able to do this without the generous donations received during campaigns like Fast.
“It is unacceptable that about three million children die every year from undernutrition, which is an average of around 8,220 children a day or a child dying every 10.5 seconds.
When asked what Richard himself is doing, he said he is giving up his iPad for 24 hours. “This might sound easy, but if you knew me, you’d know that I’m permanently attached to the device and a day without an iPad will be truly challenging,” he said.
Concern, which is a member of Charities Institute Ireland, said a donation of €24 will provide enough to feed one child for a month.
People can sign up for Concern Fast at www.concern.net/fast or by calling 1850 50 50 55 – and participants can also engage with Concern on Twitter @Concern, Facebook, Snapchat and on Instagram.
