A Dublin charity has appealed for donations after experiencing their most "chaotic" soup run to date.
Muslim Sisters of Eire is a voluntary group, comprised largely of Muslim women who assist those in need across the city. The charity organises a weekly hot meal collection on O'Connell Street in order to help the most vulnerable in society.
Sabina Syed, an active member of the group, is closely involved with the hot meal deliveries. She said the group was severely challenged last Friday due to the huge queues that gathered for food.
READ MORE: Desperate mothers are stealing to feed their kids amid cost of living crisis
Sabina told Dublin Live: "We ran out of food, which rarely happens. We were also short on donations as we typically receive around 480 donated meals each week - this time we only had 306."
The food drive takes place outside the GPO but Sabina says the enormous queue looped as far back as the Pandora jewellery store on Henry Street. However, the group narrowly avoided turning people away thanks to the quick thinking of volunteers.
She added: "Two of our volunteers went out to buy burgers in McDonald's for people. Thankfully we were able to give something to everyone, but that has never happened before - it was very unusual."
There were also many requests for warm clothing, such as socks and blankets, although volunteers currently do not have large supplies of these available. A pregnant woman, who alleged she had recently been assaulted while sleeping rough, queued up to ask for a sleeping bag, according to Sabina.
The charity helper believes that demand has tripled since pre-pandemic times. While the group was ultimately able to feed everyone in the queue, they nonetheless had to make tough decisions on the stressful night.
She added: "It's really heartbreaking when someone asks you for an extra meal and you have to say no to them. But you see the never ending queue and have to make sure that everyone gets their share. It's cold out there and it's windy too."
The group is heavily reliant on donations from local restaurants and supermarkets. Besides providing people with hot dinners, Muslim Sisters of Eire also offer non-perishable and confectionary items at the soup run.
Alternatively, the group sets up a link each Friday on their website, which people can donate money to. This link usually goes live if volunteers do not receive enough donated meals by Friday, allowing the charity to buy people hot dinners.
The donation link is available on Fridays through the group's website. Muslim Sisters of Eire are also appealing for local restaurants to get in touch via the group's social media pages.
READ MORE
-
Drones stop flights in and out of Dublin Airport again
- Kind-hearted Dubs launch fundraiser for victims of Turkey earthquake
- Copper Face Jacks hiring bar staff, cocktail bartender and bouncer
- Irish motorists could be paying more than €300 too much for car insurance amid key new advice
- Dublin pub jobs: Copper Face Jacks hiring bar staff, cocktail bartender and bouncer
